Marionette
by Sinister hime
Summary: A different type of events happen at the outcome of the war that actually don't change things in the long run. Well, except for Sakura. But she wasn't that important to begin with anyway. Too bad this was one thing she had to face alone. AU SasoSaku SPOILERS: Takes place after the war.
1. Chapter 1

**Marionette **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

**A/N: I was re-watching Sakura and Chiyo's fight against Sasori the other day, and his character really, honestly hit me hard. After seeing all the flashy moves and stunts, you start paying more detailed attention to the dialogues and Sasori is just…**

**Sasori shouldn't have died.**

**So- in honour of him I have used the power of fanbase and imagination to bring him back to life. *kuku* His character is so nicely developed, and after VesperChan's Obelisk series (Go read that) I've grown fond of the twisted murderer. I shouldn't be uploading this...but what the hell, right?**

**WARNING: This takes place at the very end of the Naruto manga- MORE PRECISELY, the 699 chapter since I refuse to acknowledge the existence of the 700. So, yeah… SPOILERS AHEAD. Also, this is sort of a first for me to write a story about an actual (future) pairing, so be gentle.**

**Or not.**

Chapter 1: Eventful

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Life happens in strange ways.

Honestly- it forces things to be _weird_, awkward and just plain annoying. It never goes by plan, it can humiliate you in the most outrageous situations, is cruel, honest and _unavoidable._

Sakura's gotten used to that pretty quickly- well, she was starting to. She's been a fool most of her life, so actually _opening her eyes _for once was a miracle by itself. But hey, at least she finally got that deserved wake-up call; most people get it once they finally meet the Big Man upstairs.

So, in a sense, she wasn't going to take what life threw at her for granted anymore. She wasn't going to make an idiot of herself anymore- she was going to keep calm about _any_ situation and lower down her feelings like all shinboi _had_ to. She was going to try and be what everyone wanted her to- silent and out of the way.

It was a promise, an oath, and everything in between. She will serve her village to her last breath, and let go of the personal life she never had. She had lost her pride, but she still held her status as kunoichi. And she'd be _damned _to lose that too.

But, this evening, without her even knowing it, life was just about to eat that little promise she had uttered loudly on a lonesome Tuesday night and spit it back into her face.

Like _always_.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

She was strained, exhausted, tired, sore, woozy, dizzy and the walking dead.

Those words all kinda described her life right now.

After actually completing her first mission under the reign of the now 6th Hokage (read: Kakashi-Sensei), Sakura had thought it to be a nice idea to go out and train. Honestly- the mission was basically her walking up to a smaller village some 30 kilometres away carrying a letter which asked the officials if their village needed any supplies. Not only sheer embarrassment, but mundane at best, Sakura knew the moment the officials loudly read the contents of the letter still in her presence that Kakashi-Sensei was still the same vary teacher that thought her to be weak and whiny.

So, with time on her hands, she had treated herself into unoccupied training grounds. Training was tiring by itself, but without doing it with someone else it also tended to be wasted time. Her punches were strong, but if she couldn't hit a moving target it meant absolutely _nothing_.

But it wasn't like she was going to whine about that. _/I've put myself into this situation and now I have to suffer the consequences of it/ _Those were the constant thoughts in her mind as she drilled through the hours. She preformed some taijutsu manoeuvres, focused to broaden her chakra supplies and had perfected some basic jutsu she knew, which were little and lacking if you cut out the medical ones.

_/I'm not meant for the battlefield specifically anyways/ _It was supposed to be a comforting thought, but it just made her feel worse. It wasn't the first time she wished Tsunade was still patient enough to spar with her; but her Shishou was finally enjoying the luxury of free drinking and no paperwork. Besides, after the war began Tsunade had stated herself that she wouldn't train her anymore- most likely because she believed she would _die, _but the statement still stood.

The only person she might be comfortable enough to ask and spar with was Lee- and she would, if she didn't know he'd proclaimed the news all over Konoha, screaming how his dying _love_ had finally acknowledged him. _/Even Sasuke'd be surprised/ _That sombre thought had effectively made her stop and end her training for today. And that was a good thing- since if she'd kept it up, she would have had the dirt as a bed tonight.

_/How come exhaustion kicks in _after _the adrenaline wears off?/ _She groaned to herself, her footsteps heavy as she clambered her way through the streets. Her chakra reserves were so _small, _it was lucky she was still moving. Her back was slouching and her arms hanged- but she couldn't care about her posture at all. Even her mind was sore.

_/Well, at least the day's ended/ _She hummed lightly in the secluded part of her thoughts, and she regretted uttering anything at all. She noticed the wave and yell of "Sakura-chan!" _after _slouching past them and further down the streets. She saw two blonds, a lazy-ass, a head stuck in a bowl and a faint outline of a duck's butt. That was all she needed to blush in shame, and skirt her way through some crowds as she hid her face in her hands. Not only Team 10, but _those _two _/I'm taking the rooftops next time/._

She reached her apartment complex relatively safely after that, and she let out a sigh of relief as she clambered her way through the many steps. After returning from the war (relatively) unscathed, her parents had finally offered their blessing into getting her own place to stay. The timing was perfect too- this was just one part of her life she wished to stay in a hole of her own… _**Forever.**_

"Well, at least today was _eventful._" She mumbled as she walked up to her door, looking for her keys. She hummed in triumph upon locating the little suckers in a hidden pocket, and the only thing on her mind was that small distance between her and the bed.

The door opened and she took a step inside. She turned her head to regard her apartment quickly and, (The lights were on. She had to have forgotten about them…) only once she had shut the door, her blood ran cold as her fingers grazed the doorknob before falling to her side. Her face was stuck into that little tilt of her smile as she stared ahead with wide eyes growing into dinner plates.

Not to say that her guest wasn't surprised as well- his eyes were wide and his lips were slightly open, the rice-ball in his hand stopped half way to its assumed destination, body frozen. Honestly- off all the people that could have come back to haunt her from the dead, it just _had _to be the strongest person she had ever killed.

Sakura wasn't sure how long they both stood still, but it wasn't until the rice-ball fell and moved away that she jerked back into the present.

"Gahhhhh!" It was a mixed scream/battle cry which she most often reserved for rats or Naruto, but it seemed to do the trick and snap both of them out of it. She hit her back against the door, before she held up her fist and charged right when that _puppet monster _was just about to _say_ something. "Wai-!"

Although her intentions were well, her fist was lacking any power and her coordination was worse than that of a blind mouse. Sasori easily stepped out of the way from her clumsy attack, and Sakura lamely swung at thin air. The action made her dizzy and her eyes blurred at all the many objects and colours. But she refused to give in, and she quickly spotted the moving mess of stark red hair. Sasori must have been anticipating her movements, since he had practically tackled her to the ground the very next second.

She couldn't choke in her gasp of pain as her back hit the floor violently. In seconds he had her arms pinned at her sides, and her legs crushed by his own as he towered over her. Sakura was still seeing stars, yet her will was stubborn as she struggled against the hold. It was weak and pathetic- and she gave up after moments, an exasperated exile of air leaving her.

She refused to look at him: she was _revolted _at the thought of _him_ being the last thing she sees, so she stubbornly closed her eyes. She thought of fields of flowers, and she saw herself as a child, her parents beside her. It was beautiful and at her now-dying-moments she knew that they were the most important in the end. Sure, there were was the village and the rookie 9. But they weren't the ones that _never _pushed her away. They weren't the ones that offered her comfort and help when she needed it most. Her family did that- the only kind she ever had. She saw Tsunade and Shizune in the distance somewhere, and the complete image made her smile lightly. _/I'm glad…/ _

After a few moments passed, and she was still able to breath and feel, she forced an eye open. Sasori hadn't moved his position, but was staring at her with a rather blunt look. Those half-lidded eyes and thin line of his lips screamed unimpressed in every way, and _that _irritated her into speaking. "What is this- closer inspection?" She hissed, glaring.

Sasori didn't seem surprised at her sudden bravado; but his lips pulled into his usual frown. "You should only be so lucky to become one of my puppets, _little girl_." He murmured evenly, and the deep, serious voice convinced Sakura- it was definitely _him_.

"If you aren't planning to kill me" She met his uninterested golden eyes evenly, her face twisting into a glaring scowl. "Then you might as well _get off_" She tried to wriggle her hands free to prove her statement, but it was hopeless. _/Damn- right when my chakra's down too/ _She held her ground, her expression not revealing any of the turmoil beneath _/I should have been more careful. Damnit!/_

Her words seemed to only serve as a purpose of amusement for the cold monster in front of her. "I'm not the one that tried to attack first, little girl" He pointed out, and Sakura forced the flinch down- she had to remain her composure at all costs. "So, if you promise to remain silent, we might achieve a compromise."

Sakura wished her eyes had the ability to burn holes through his head- there was no compromising with a monster, especially that of the _former_ Akatsuki; any sane person with a shred of sense knew that. But she was defenseless like this, so she glared some more and reluctantly nodded in the end. She gulped out the words, swallowing down the fear and burst of adrenaline seeping through her veins. "_Fine._"

Sasori seemed to believe her agreement as much as she did. She forced herself to meet his unrelenting and calm gaze, trying to calm down her racing heart. She could read nothing in his eyes- emotionless and blank as they were, and that fact made her just a tiny bit more aware that this was a _monster _of a shinobi: the epitome of the meaning.

Her heart seemed to stop as he leaned in with narrowed eyes, pressing her hands with more force and Sakura feared he had come to the decision of her death. But then he leaned back and relaxed, successfully getting off of her, but still crouching in front. Sakura sat up on her elbows, and she felt the forming bruises but did her best to ignore it. For now…

They shared a look, before Sakura sprang to her feet and turned, making a mad dash towards the window, screaming atop her lungs. "HEEEEL-Umph!" She didn't make even 2 steps, before Sasori had tackled her, _again. _This time, they both hit the hard floor with a lot more force.

She had landed on her side, and the world spun before coming back with harsh clarity, and her breath hitched. Sasori was behind her, a hand of his own clamping her mouth shut into place. There was nothing else but that hand constricting her, but Sasori made a clear warning; if she dared to even move _an inch _he would choke her, crushing her airways and throat. He must have landed painfully on his side too, as he took a few deep intakes. _/There goes my last chance for freedom… out the window/ _Gone without her, left at the mercy of a heartless criminal.

Sakura felt and recognized the pinch on her throat; she wished she could resist, but it was a clear blow to the nerves and her body. Her visions blurred and her eyelids were heavy- before everything went black, only one thought passed by:

_/Well, today sure was __**eventful**__/_

**A/N: I'm gonna regret submitting a new story soon- but what the hell. I mean, it's already 4 chapters in.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Negotiations

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Sakura felt comfortable and warm when she woke up. There was something soft underneath her, and from the hard pillow beneath her head, she presumed she was lying on the couch. A very nice smell floated to her nostrils.

_/Blueberry tee…/ _She recognized her favorite fruit tee anywhere, and she blinked her eyes open. They were sore and un-coordinated at first, and she groaned, still in her dreams. The familiar ceiling met her eyes- this was her apartment, then? _/Who's making tee…?/ _She registered blearily _/Or did I just forget about it?/ _

The answers to all her questions came walking through the kitchen doorway soon enough. Sakura instantly grew alert to the even footsteps, and cocked her head backwards in an awkward angle. She went still as she met the form of Sasori upside-down, carrying a cup of steaming tee in his hands. _/Oh that's right… There's a dead puppet master in my house./ _The implications of that were soon understood, and she turned back in front, just about to jump out of the couch and the window, grasping the chance of escape she missed before.

"Not so fast."

The words were soon followed by the familiar rustle of wires, and before she knew it, her body was tight and bound by them. She hissed as some bit into her skin, plopping back down on the couch like a caterpillar. Sasori was completely unaffected by her loud swearing, most of it directed at him, as he walked around her and slumped himself at the low glass coffee table.

"Finished?" He inquired, gingerly taking a sip of the warm tee. Sakura glared daggers at him, and she wished he would choke on it this instant. Not only was she captured, helpless _and_ wrapped up neatly, her _guest _was helping himself to both her food and treasured herbs. And she was starving, among other things.

"Well then… you ready to listen, for once?" He raised an amused, but all the while serious eyebrow at her, setting the cup down beside him. "I have _nothing _to hear from you, except the details of my death." She bit back angrily. What did he have to say to her, other than that? Why was he here, other than _that_?

Sasori glanced at her with intrigue, but only the slightest bit. "If you're so hung up about it, I'm sure we can make a few arrangements." He was taunting her, she knew, but she refused to give in and her eyes only narrowed to slits even more. At her silent response, Sasori continued.

"You've probably noticed I'm alive."

"Unfortunately_._"

"_And_ that I'm not a puppet anymore." He raised his voice, narrowing his eyes just a millimeter in a glare her way for being interrupted. Sakura met the stare full-force, but she couldn't hide her slight shock at the news.

He was right- it wasn't cold and hard hands that had held her in place, but _real _flesh and blood. _/How could I have missed that?!/ _She was regretting that missed punch more and more- she could have knocked him out cold and get back with the ANBU and Hokage at her heels, instead of going through all of this now. _/Never again am I training after a mission ever/ _

"Surprised, are we?" He hissed her way, his face morphing back to that lazy and slouched appearance he always had. "Well, the feelings are mutual, I must confess." He hissed, completely angry about the entire ordeal. It _was _his so called _immortal _body he lost, after all. Sakura wasn't sure why he was so angry- he should be _glad _for getting a second chance in a _real _body.

"Either way" Sasori sighed, letting go of his grudge and displeasure. "I'm not dead. And your residence suits my needs for now."

Sakura openly gaped at him. Was he _insane_? Or was she? At this point, she wasn't sure what was fact or fiction. "What is _that _supposed to mean?" She hissed at him like a cat. "You're not _staying _here, are you?!" Because, a master puppeteer staying at her house was weirder than said person not killing her. "How are you even _alive_?"

"I _was_ reanimatedto serve in the recent war." Sasori complied, rather irritated, and Sakura racked her brain- someone had mentioned that all the Akatsuki members had been revived at the starting point, that was true. "And my death wasn't as…_swift _as the others. In the end, I was given this body and found myself here. That's all you need to know." Which was basically nothing, since she could have figured that out by herself. Still, who was she to pry for more? Sasori was a cruel soul in the form of a human, and his so far relative compliance and mercy with the entire situation was a lucky thing in this entire catastrophe.

"That still doesn't answer my question." She mumbled, before raising her gaze angrily. "Why are you _here? _In Konoha?" More importantly-her apartment. She had just finally settled down from all these types of problems; why was this happening _now_?

"Your forces were the closest retreating." He answered in blunt honesty. "And I have managed to slip unawares while you were all recovering from the damage and loss." He sipped his tee- _her _tee, before exhaling and giving her a full blown smirk. "If you're wondering _why _I am here in your home" He leaned closer, a cruel glint in his eye. "Well, what other Konoha nin can I think of visiting but my own killer?"

Sakura felt the shiver run up her spine at both his words and his closing distance- but he didn't have to know her fear. "Revenge?" She offered with a coy smile, slapping him with his words right back in his face. "For being killed at the hands of a pink haired teenager and an old lady?" She kept the smile intact, even if her own words hurt. Elder Chiyo was _anything _but an old lady- she was one of the few kunoichi she now looked up to, except for Tsunade of course. Being side by side in her last battle was both an honor and privilege.

Sasori's entire aura turned dark, even if his face remained the same lazy expression. He leaned down, closer to Sakura's face, and her heart was pounding as she could only wonder in muted horror if he was going to cut her throat off or push against the wires till she bled to death. He did neither, and reached down, gingerly taking a lock of her hair and cradling it in his fingers. "Tempting; _very _tempting." Her eyes were wide and he took satisfaction from her fear. "But I'm afraid I am no Uchiha to fall at the hands of revenge and my own destruction."

She wondered vaguely if he meant the Uchiha as a whole, or Sasuke in particular. Either way, both send the familiar sting in her chest, but her hectic love life (or lack of) was pushed aside by more worrying matters at hand.

"Don't think highly of yourself- if I killed you, I would make my existence known. And I am in no mood to fight a sad village and an over-powered fox brat." He let her hair fall back at her neck as he sat up, sipping his tee calmly. "Besides, winter is coming and the streets are no place for me."

Sakura gave up on the thought of chasing the murderer from her home- he wasn't budging and he had the upper hand right now. But her stubborn spirit was still pumping, and her ego was bruised enough from last night. "Scared?" She offered with a smirk. Sasori returned the gesture with one of his own, more intimidating kind. "Hardly. But anyone on it _should _be." He gave her a fake smile. "You wouldn't want to let innocent victims get harmed because of _you_, would you little girl?"

It was official- Sasori had effectively raided her home, trapped her and forced her to come to terms with it all. The kunoichi inside her was itching to send the news to Kakashi, Tsunade- _anyone_. But the medic in her was strong, and she'd never let others suffer on account of herself. No- not anymore. She might have gotten just the tiny bit stronger- but Sasori had killed Kage at her age, and she didn't _want _to know his strength as a human, even if it lacked his former puppet glory. Somehow, a human Sasori was just more frightening than a fake wooden existence of one.

She hadn't said a word- but the sigh and closing her eyelids with the strained nod of her head was good enough. This time, when he had let the wires fall slack from his fingers and left back in the kitchen, Sakura had only breathed out in relief and checked for injuries. Nothing major, since the fabric took more of a beating than her. She was wearing her standard chunin uniform today, since she still wasn't in the mood for her usual bright attire.

She sat up and sat on the couch, just now realizing how sore she still was. She stretched her legs out slightly and rubbed her wrists- yup, she thought with a wince, definitely bruises. She glanced at the open window longingly- she could escape now, it was her chance. But Sasori would know- he'd _expect _it and the civilians would pay for it.

She couldn't let _that_ happen. Not straight after the war. It would be the Kyuubi attack all over again. Kinda.

She flinched in surprise as Sasori sat next to her, a tray of food in his hands. She ignored the sudden vicinity and suspiciously looked at the remaining rice balls _she _had made early in the day, and heavenly cup of tea, turning to his face with raised eyebrows. "Poison?" She stated dryly, but her eyes were narrowed all the same.

Sasori actually _rolled_ his eyes at her antics and shoved the tray in her lap. Huh-rude. "If you don't wish to die in your sleep, then eat." He supplied in a bored tone, getting up. Sakura recognized the exhaustion on his own face- it's been a full three weeks from the return of the shinobi from the war after all. _/How long was he scurrying about in hiding…/ _She thought in wonder, since that would explain his more than gentle manner in handling her than he would have if his strength was at full capacity. Sakura wished she could hit her head against the wall _/__I could have even captured him, if I haven't decided to go to train myself to death/ _The fates were against her today. And rubbing it in her face.

"Your chakra reserves are extremely low" Sasori added as an afterthought, heading towards the direction of _her_ room. "No wonder you managed to sneak up on me…" He mumbled in a yawn as he disappeared down the hall, though Sakura heard him all the same.

She didn't have the strength to argue back or fight for her bed- she was drained, and she munched on the rice balls as much as she could without throwing them up instantly. Her stomach was strained from today's activities, and it couldn't handle solid food but she forced it down. She had devoured two rice balls, and managed to drink some heavenly blueberry liquid, before the scent had made her eyes too heavy.

She fell asleep before she dropped on the couch, satisfied and finally regaining her chakra through rest.

Today was the day her life would change, taking another direction completely. Whether she liked it or not.

**A/N: For those 2 reviewers out there (I know you must be somewhere!)- thanks a ton. You reminded me to update this. XD**

**Hate it, love it- I really don't care! **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Deal with the Scorpio

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"Good morning!"

"Morning!"

"Lovely weather, isn't it?"

"Morning, good sir! How may I help you?"

"Fresh apples for sale!"

"Dango! Get 'em while their hot!"

Sakura grunted wordlessly as she walked through the bustling streets of the Konoha Market.

It was early; which meant, crowds _everywhere. _Sakura should have known better, but after this morning she just _had _to get away from that wretched apartment which used to be _hers. _And hers alone. She had feared that consequences would befall her for such rash actions, but the man that was now in every sense of the way her official _roommate _had barely shrugged.

"_I'm heading out."_

_He hadn't even blinked at her words, and even if her body was facing the door her gaze lingered on his form almost expectantly. Her pride kept screaming at her to just freaking leave already, but her still body remained. She would not ever admit it, for it meant admitting _control_, but despite killing him in the past, Sakura had never stopped fearing the red assassin. No- even after that long and tiring battle was over and her body was slowly healed by the wandering hands of a great kunoichi that was Chio, her mind was still packed with adrenaline and fear. So may close calls; so many vague slip-ups came to mind only when it was all over…_

_Back then her comfort was that his core was broken, and his body was now what he had made it to be- a shell. Right now though, her only comfort was a vague piece of paper that supposedly kept them at a distance from ending in a battle to the death. In which, if it ever came, they _both _knew who would claim victory._

_He shrugged, his back slouched as he read one of her medical books (she didn't even want to know) on the floor, his eyes never lifting, and voice distant and rough. "Where are you headed?"_

_She rolled her eyes at the uncaring question. "Off to inform the Hokage of your whereabouts. And prepare a date for the execution."_

"_And then?" He wasn't fazed by this at all. He hadn't believed her words- but then again, neither did she. Either way, her eyes still narrowed all the same._

"_Market." _

_Flipped a page and rolled his shoulders, back still slouching awkwardly. "Good. Buy edible food." He glanced up at her for a moment, completely serious. "Your cooking's terrible." _

_It was sheer will power and patience (Because she was the better person in this picture- right. She was the good and they always prevailed) that helped her walk out of that apartment and into the streets, slamming all the doors on her way out. It had nothing to do with fear or uncertainty at the outcome should she attack- if she wasn't so patient, why, his head would be flying into blood freakin Mist right now._

But all in all, this was a pretty good move on her part. The early morning crowds were packed with civilians, while the other shinobi were still tucked in their beds, waiting until the morning rush hour left. The less chance being spotted by anyone familiar- she couldn't socialize just yet. No; she _refused _to see anyone familiar right now. She wouldn't know if they'd be subjected to her tears or fists. Neither was a good outcome for both parties.

If there was one thing that put things off Sakura's mind and into productive fields, it was food shopping and price wars.

Shinobi may have been experienced at the battlefield, but as a result, they were _useless _in the wars of lowering prices against experienced salesman. They could kill an enemy without batting an eye- they were as good as goners when faced with sly grins and bad products with high prices. Well- _some_ of them.

Sakura grinned as she spotted her target- why, that must have been the very finest rice she had seen this season. She edged her way to the stall, patiently waiting in line behind many others. Civilians knew these wars well, and they were especially cruel when precious goods were the case. One had to have an eye for these things, because they weren't everyday findings.

Being an apprentice to the fifth Hokage had its… _perks_. Despite Tsunade killing her in their trainings, completely torturing her body to new edges each day and using her as distraction when she lost games and stole the rewards, she also used her apprentice for means of solving endless paperwork, much to Sakura's horrified dismay in her genin days. But, this also included her to stay in the village a lot more than the others, and be involved in the more _delicate _political missions further down the way.

As such, her mother dragged her to the market constantly, to catch up with their "bonding", and it wasn't much as bonding as it was a 101 lesson about getting the better end and making the most noise to achieve a few pounds of season strawberries or peaches for a laughable amount. Sakura had seen _many_ arguments and fights over prices her mother had eventually won as they went from stall to stall, each salesman dreading upon their arrival but never bending as they sent awaiting grins their way. Sakura had been horrified at the noise and absurd threats her mother could make every time, wishing for Kakashi-Sensei to come and make the ground swallow her whole, and she had all but dreaded all the _bonding_ days to come.

It was a different story today. These skills were now precious, not meager at all, especially when she had witnessed Ino instantly cave in and buy a bag of seeds at a much higher price than she should have on one of their girl night outings. And anyway, this was great for venting out frustrations in a way without posing harm and the consequences of doing so. It was quite effective therapy.

This was a skill she would never forget and nurture always. Sakura perked up as she came up front, the beautiful shining rice still untouched in the large bag. She got a glance of the price and blanched almost instantly. _/The hell. What a rip-off!/ _She fumed on the inside, smiling the salesman's way which he returned full-force. _/Hmm, this look like a tough nut to crack. But I _am _Mebuki Haruno's daughter after all/ _She smiled shyly as the salesman paid her his attention. "Good morning. What will we have?" He grinned, rubbing his hands in glee and Sakura purred with malice on the inside. _/Pink hair doesn't spell innocence, you jackass/. _She grinned back at the salesman full force in reality, steering her temper towards more productive parts of the brain.

"That rice looks wonderful." No point in beating around the bush- the salesman saw her eying it, and he wasn't buying her act for an instant. As much as she wasn't his. "How much for 2 pounds?" Still, she batted her eyelashes and twirled a lock of hair through her fingers. You never knew the enemy till you saw its reaction.

The salesman grinned his characteristic smile. "30, little miss. Double the price for 2 pounds." The salesman grinned showing off a few gold teeth to replace the holes, expecting her to scowl at the loss or cringe at the sight. Sakura just sighed and kept on smiling though. Here we go…

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_She dreamed thick trees, deadly animals and a cold night. _

_She dreamed of snakes and black haired boys fighting, while 9 foxes danced in a circle_.

_She saw sandstorms, feathers and the black haired boy leaving with the snake draped around his shoulders, its fangs stuck in his neck. _

_The blood dripped in the ground, swallowing the ground and herself, and she was falling into an ocean of crimson._

_Pain. Fear. Wood. An approaching scorpion's tail._

"_Morning." _

_Sakura opened her eyes at the greeting and instantly groaned, wishing she could go back to sleep again. Memories from last night events came crashing down on her, crushing any half-sleep made up wishes off a nice breakfast and good book. She knew who walked by and into the kitchen, but she ignored it. Apparently, she was going to get used to this for a while._

_She just laid there on the couch, staring at the wall at the other end, eyes blank. She had thought- _hoped_\- that with new problems in her life now, she would stop dreaming of the past and what could be or could have been. She had closed that chapter of her life- that endless running in circles of weakness and loss, and had moved on for good._

_Or so she thought. /No such luck/ She mumbled as she breathed in her pillow, remembering the image of the scorpion at the end /My problems just merged together/ She smiled bitterly, before pushing herself upwards into a sitting position._

_She stretched and glanced at the doorway to her right. Her new _roommate _seemed to have helped himself with the kitchen and food, but that was fine with Sakura. She reeked, and although she wouldn't dare take a shower with a killer up so early and walking, there was no reason to be filthy._

_She inched her way down the hallway and into her opened room, closing it shut behind her. She glared at the doorknob; seemed he wasn't tired enough to confiscate all her keys last night though. She ignored it and turned to her bed, expecting the worst._

_That wasn't the case it seemed. Her bed was even more organized than she last left it, and that was saying something, since Sakura tended to be somewhat of a freak when cleaning was involved. /And I don't seem to be alone/ She nodded to herself approvingly at the tucked up sheets and pillows, and not a thing in her room was moved from its usual position. /Huh. Maybe living with him won't be so bad after all…/_

_That thought was instantly crushed by a vigorous shake of her head, as she tore her clothes off distastefully and threw them in the laundry basket with more force than intended. /What am I saying? Living with _any _akatsuki member would be nothing short of a nightmare, especially the one I had a hand in killing/ She trudged her way to her small bathroom, ranting about this entire situation to herself. _

_Sakura discarded the rest of her clothes and scowling, she scrubbed her skin raw, hoping to at least to slow down the sweat and stench. She held the towel to her chest and smelled her armpits. /Yuck./ She made a face which was reflected by the glass. /I wish I could go and use those scented bathing salts. A bath would be so nice…/_

_She re-entered her room, but carefully looked around first. /No red headed assassins in sight/ She skipped her way to her closet, gulping in her mind as she hurriedly put on clothes she was missing on her person /For now/. _

_She put on her long black pants, and a simple green T-shirt that was a bit too big and covered her behind. It was a hazard appearance altogether, but that was how she felt like anyway. /There's no one to dress up for too/_

_She knew she couldn't ignore the stench, roommate assassins or not, so she put on some light perfume to hide it away. She was planning to eat breakfast, ignore the new stain in her life and run out in the streets. Just because she couldn't say anything at all in protest, didn't mean she had to stay with this new problem of hers cooped up all day. That was final. _

_She left her Konoha headband on a cupboard, and she didn't mind her bangs falling to her forehead. They've grown out just a tiny bit, so it kinda suited her. She winced in the mirror /Well, that's one big understatement of the year/ Her hair resembled a messy mope, there were dark circles under her eyes and her baggy clothes hid nothing underneath, since she had nothing to show. _

_She ignored it though- whatever she looked like, the scarier she was, the more of a chance for her problem to leave. It was wishful thinking on her part, but… /Hmmm, that's not half bad of an idea…/ Smirking, she grabbed her money and stashed it deep into her pocket._

_She cleaned up some minor details in the room more as a nervous habit than anything, before gathering her wits and stepping out into the hallway. /What is that smell?/ She blinked at the burned stench in the air, before hurrying along /If he burned my kitchen, I swear to God/._

_She was just about to step head first into the kitchen doorway, before she was dragged away. Yes- __**dragged away. **__Before Sakura could even comprehend anything and her reflexes kicked in, she was plopped down on the tatami mat rather harshly. She blinked in wonder, staring at the low table as the person responsible for her brief kidnapping walked over and gingerly sat the spot opposite hers._

_She glared at that lazy expression and she wished she could wipe it off his face. "A simple 'Please come here' would have sufficed" Her words were meant to be angry and resentful, but they just sounded tired. _

_Sasori simply raised his eyebrows at her. "Unlikely."_

"_What have you done in my kitchen?"_

"_Besides, now that I have your attention" Sakura scowled, as he completely ignored her. He took out a large scroll and spread it open on the table. "There's business to be done regarding our little transaction." He gestured to the open scroll, but all Sakura saw were all kinds of seal characters wrapped around each other in a giant circle. She looked at the red head across the table half-serious. "You plan to seal me?" She joked, her smile wavering. _

_It was impossible to seal someone living- even summoning scrolls didn't have all their animals neatly sealed into a tiny scroll, but this _was _Sasori she was talking about. She was scared to even _think _of the things he was capable, considering he made his own _body _into a puppet _and_ lived to tell the tale._

_Sasori didn't indulge her curiosity, but continued uninterrupted. "It seems that, you don't trust me much." Sakura snorted at that. "I don't trust you _at all_." She muttered in a hush, but Sasori heard her all the same._

"_Don't worry; the feelings are mutual, little girl." He gave her one of those bare smiles, which screamed he was going to enjoy killing her soon, stripping the flesh bare off her bones- something along those lines which was bad for her health. _

"_Anyways; I need a residence of sorts-"_

"_Temporary residence." Sakura cut in, and Sasori gave her a light glare. She didn't give in though- just glared harder. "_And_, you need to be insured I won't kill you." Sakura wished she could have laughed at that statement; but it was the cold-blooded truth, and she didn't want to dig herself any deeper in this pit filled of poison scorpions. "So, for this entire… _thing _to actually work, a sealed contract is the best thing to sign."_

_Sakura raised her eyebrow. "Sealed contract?"_

_Sasori seemed just about ready to gap and sigh at her ignorance; instead he just mumbled something underneath his breath about the 'soft Leaf', before inhaling deeply. "A sealed contract is a contract signed between two parties to whatever terms they require the other to uphold." Sasori explained. "It's most often used after wars or large battles, for the sake of 'peace times'." He elaborated, voice dripping with sarcasm and distaste, while Sakura nodded slowly, as a distant memory resurfaced of Tsunade mentioning something similar before; a sealed contract was used between Konoha and Suna after the dreaded invasion of the chunin exams._

"_This however" He pointed to the large circle containing all kind of seals. "Is a very _special _seal contract. The Unbreakable vow." Sakura glanced at Sasori suspiciously, already guessing where this was going. "Let me guess- signed in blood?" She inquired, and Sasori looked a bit stunned (at being cut in or her correct guess- she couldn't know) as he nodded. Sakura couldn't help but roll her eyes. _

"_That's like an ordinary blood contract. Besides, even if we seal it in blood I can't be sure that you'll stick with the terms." Blood contracts were a fickle thing- they didn't guarantee punishment to the one breaking the terms of the contract. They would only warn the other party that someone _was _breaking the terms of the contract. There were too many worst case scenarios with the master puppeteer abusing this major weakness._

_Sasori laughed at her lightly, smirking and Sakura's fingers rolled into tight fists at her side, trying to keep her anger in check. "Well, lucky for you this isn't an _ordinary _blood contract" His face smoothed back into a semi-serious one, but Sakura kept her guard up, her ears wide open. _

"_You've probably noticed there are no written words here" Sakura nodded absentmindedly. /Hard to miss/ Every scroll had at least _one _word written in or on them. Ignoring the seals, this scroll was bare. "Just a pattern of seals. Well, this isn't more of a contract as it is a vow." _

"_A vow?" She glanced at the scroll uncertainly. "How does that work?"_

"_We both agree to what terms we want the other to uphold." He sounded bored, as he gestured with his hand around him, as if this was the most unexciting thing to describe. "And after that, you dip your hand in blood, place it on the centre of the seal and utter your name and the terms you promise to keep. I do the same- and we both move on with our lives." _

_Sakura ignored his last words (Moving on with her life was becoming a rather slim hope for her future. Especially after this _tiny_ development) and tried to peace it all together in her head. "…you mean the seal will force both parties to maintain their promises?" Sakura's eyes sparkled with curiosity, and at Sasori's dumb nod her face almost split into a huge grin. "And the seal will actually _memorize _everything we've uttered? And know when we break our vow, even if we're kilometers away from the source?" He had said none of that but the fact she had deduced it all by herself correctly just made him nod dumbly all the same. "That's amazing!" She grinned- she had no idea how many times she had searched for such a thing in the library; it would have saved them from so many political battles! /Oh, the possibilities/ Her eyes sparkled, as so many unnecessary paperwork could have gotten easily burned of…_

_She caught Sasori's amused expression directed at her, and she quickly forced herself to calm down, scowling as she looked at the table, a light blush staining her cheeks. "I mean… consequences?"_

"_Death." _

_It wasn't a really great outcome, but it wasn't like she was surprised. If she spilled the beans to someone, she would have died at Sasori's hands eventually. Dying by the power of a scroll promised a much calmer death; anything better than Sasori who would have undergone the procedure of turning her into a doll as slowly as possible._

_What other choice did she have?_

_**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

**A/N: Anyone catch the Harry Potter reference? Of course you did. Right- I'm too obvious for that.**

**It's really late at night, my shoulders ache and my heart is beating a mile. In short; I can't sleep. There. Thought I'd edit this chapter out. Hope it's a bit more satisfactory now.**

**Follows, favorites and reviews are all to praise. Thank you. *bows low* **

**I'd be the better person and say that the amount of reviews isn't going to determine the fate of this story (and I wouldn't be lying for the most part), but since I'm only human I might take it up for ransom here and there.**

**It's not me- it's you! *points* **

**Now act insulted and write a complaint about it- or the story. Whatever floats your boat.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Unbreakable Vow

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_This was a great outcome in the end, right? Besides, he wasn't staying _forever _right? "Okay… What are your terms?" She questioned slowly and Sasori didn't miss a beat._

"_You can't tell, show, write, draw or signal anyone of my whereabouts. You are to listen to my words and needs. You are to be with me if I demand it. Also, you are to help me if I wish it."_

_Ouch._

"_That's a tall order, sir." She said slowly, giving him her biggest smile. "Alright then. Oh, and want me to promise to give you my body after my passing as permission to turn it into a doll?" Sasori looked at her strangely, but then he smirked and was about to say something, until Sakura screeched out her resolve._

"_Hell NO!" She yelled, forcing down the urge to get up and smack him. "What are you, crazy?" She growled, before shaking her head. "Don't answer that question! It's like I forget who I'm talking to." She glared at him with all the strength she contained, strong kage-level assassin be damned. What kind of crazy terms were that? She might be weak, but she wasn't stupid. "I'll take up your first offer. As for everything else, you can flush it down the toilet."_

_Sasori didn't react as _strongly _as she did, despite the fact he was obviously dissatisfied with her answer, sticking with simply narrowing his eyes her way. "Absolutely not. This isn't up for discussion." His voice was even, laced with annoyance. _

_/The nerve of that freaky bastard- how dare he?!/ "What are your terms, then?" He inquired acidly- completely ignoring her too! /Uhhh, you are going to end up dead before you can even blink at this stupid contract/ She bristled._

"_Don't kill me, destroy my village or extract any valuable information from me by force" She crossed her arms across her chest, _daring _him to decline. _

"_That's reasonable."_

"_Exactly. I'm not asking you to be my permanent slave or something!"_

"_Neither am I" Sasori countered, while Sakura just raised an eyebrow at him. Was he serious? "You do not have to follow me around or go through mountains and oceans for any of my whims. You only need to _listen _to my words, and come help me _only _if I need it."_

_Sakura sighed, exasperated. /It's like I'm talking to a wall/ She took a deep breath to calm herself- this was fine. She'd dealt with Naruto before. Sasuke too, unfortunately. "Look- you're a tough guy. I'm sure you can force any of this on me without a scroll to back you up." He was smirking as if _he _won the war, and Sakura was regretting even opening her mouth, but it had to be done. Slavery _wasn't _an option. "So here- I'll take the first and third demand. No more." _

_This was stretching it too far already, but she'd manage it. She wasn't helping him make his freakish dolls and if she went deaf or something and couldn't hear him, she'd die the stupidest death of the century! /Well, depending whether this scroll even works/ She sighed- this was all too much. /Well, if he agrees to my terms, than he'll never ask me to be with him. He can't threaten the village; so, I guess I'll let that one slip/ Sakura thought it all through._

_At least, she hoped she did._

_Sasori bid his time and thought about it for _far _too long, before eventually nodding. "Alright. As long as you say it word for word." He concluded, and Sakura glared at him. "Shouldn't I be saying that to you?" She mumbled, but he was already up and gone._

_Sakura took the time to study the scroll a bit more, but it was useless. The various seals were all glued together and although neat, they all looked like complex signs, ones that far exceeded her amateur to non-existent knowledge in the area of sealing._

_Sakura looked up as Sasori came back, her large kitchen knife in hand. She got up immediately- tensing. She made a mental note to hide away the sharper tools. "Woah- it's just a bit of blood right?" She asked shakily (Technically, he had a weapon in hand. There was no reason to be brave), to which Sasori mutely shook his head. "For the seal to memorize and bind the impact of your words, your entire hand has to be covered in blood."_

_Sakura wasn't shy around blood, with years of experience and a war behind her. Still- that was pretty demanding, for a scroll. /Then again, it is the Unbreakable Vow/_

_They rehearsed their lines, both of them giving it a test run as to how to tell it exactly as the other wanted. After minutes of mundane quarrel, they were (hopefully) prepared._

_After Sasori took the scroll and placed it on the floor, to properly open the very __**large **__thing, Sakura asked something that was bugging her to no end. "Wait." Sasori glanced up at her, the knife ready to slash his arm. He didn't even look scared at what he was going to do- like the thought of slashing open his veins by accident and slowly bleeding to death hadn't occurred to him at all. "Why didn't you demand for me to not kill you?" It was her advantage against him, that was for sure, but Sakura disliked cheating as a general rule in her life, so curiosity eventually won out her cunning. _

_Sasori gave her a challenging grin, something a lot more daring and twisted than his usual smirk. It brought her back 2 years prior, in a dark cave, next to an elderly kunoici as they both stared at the human puppet that came out his shell with horror. He was speaking- and even his tone was the same. Cruel, pompous, proud- and laced with and odd, twisted curiosity. "Please. You are nowhere near being able to kill me, little girl." He kept his gaze level with her- and she could feel the shiver crawl up her spine, feeling that same familiar horror she thought she had gotten rid of so long ago. "I'm not worried." _

_Sasori slashed his palm open lightly, and the blood came pumping out instantly. He smeared it across his fingers, until his hand was completely drenched in the red liquid. Sakura watched the entire ordeal with wide eyes- it wasn't sickening in any way (she'd seen surgeries bloodier than that), but it just proved that Sasori really was human- not a wooden monster. _

_It scared her. And she had no idea why._

_He crouched down on one knee, and placed his hand into the center of the seals. The seals hummed with life and immediately went sucking the blood away in answer. "I, Akasuna Sasori, hereby promise to not destroy the Village Hidden in The Leaves, to not kill Haruno Sakura or extract any information from Haruno Sakura by force in any way." Sakura noticed words of blood appear on the scroll as Sasori uttered them, the same words he was saying, before they were sucked in by golden seals. "This is my Unbreakable Vow." _

_The seal hummed a gentle tune, before everything went blank and the characters turned black again. Sasori extracted his hand, which was now completely healed and clean, and Sakura saw golden words inscribed in the very center of the circle of seals. _

_Akasuna Sasori._

_She must have been watching for too long, since she only took the knife when Sasori coughed loudly. She concentrated and took a deep breath, slashing her palm open. Her cut was cleaner, and the blood came in even waves, as she smeared the substance reeking of steel across her fingertips. It stung but it wasn't that uncomfortable. Satisfied, she crouched down on one knee and placed her own hand in the center._

"_I, Haruno Sakura, hereby promise to not tell, show, write, draw or signal anyone to Akasuna Sasori's whereabouts." She stopped and caught her breath here- this thing was eating both her blood and chakra at alarming rates. She shook her head as her vision blurred, focusing on her words. "I also promise to be by Akasuna Sasori's side should he demand me to, and to not extract information from Akasuna Sasori by force in any way."_

_All her blood words were sucked up by the golden seals, and Sakura caught herself when she was about to sway. Sasori made it look too easy. "This is my Unbreakable Vow." The seal hummed a gentle tune, before settling down and reverting back to its original colours. Sakura put her other hand down, to stop her from toppling over, and she peered into the center._

_Haruno Sakura._

_It was done._

_Sakura took her hand away, and stared at it with intrigue. /Completely healed…/ She mumbled, and reluctantly sat on the floor until everything stopped moving /My cut at least. This thing literally ate away part of my life!/_

_Sasori tucked in the scroll and held it in his hand. When she looked up, he was openly staring at her. "What?" She groaned out, slightly annoyed. Sasori was looking at her with interest- not morbid or cruel interest, but pure curiosity. It was strange._

"_That last part." He stated, voice calm but laced with undeniably question. "Why did you add it?"_

_Sakura got up- the world stopped swaying and she offered him a very small smile as she regained her balance. "Call it fair sportsmanship. This way, your secrets are safe." Sasori stared at her for a while, curiosity still stuck on his entire face. It was annoying, but it also made her wonder:_

_When was the last time he trusted someone?_

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"You're late."

Sakura scowled under her breath, putting her bags down onto the ground with a huff as she stretched her back, and looked the very villain which was lounging away on her balcony. "And you're out." She yawned- she had spent the entire day out, in the bathhouse and in shops. The sun was setting and the stars were beginning to show.

Sasori ignored her statement, gazing at the city and buildings. He looked peaceful- in a distant kind of way. Really, if he wanted to jeopardize his safety being in the public like that, that was totally fine with her. _/Less for me to worry about/ _

"Where were you?" Sakura glanced up in surprise, grey eyes boring down onto her. She smiled in amusement- not because she was flattered or anything, but she was too tired to play any word games. Yeah- that's it.

"I didn't figure I'd be missed." She bit out lightly as she made her way to the door of the building, never breaking eye contact. Sasori closed his eyes, face neutral and calm. "You weren't. The food was."

She couldn't see him or hear anything else as she entered, and made her way up the many stairs that awaited her. Strictly speaking, her life was horrible right now. She was depressed, weak, socially banned on her own terms, and labelled as a tight-fisted, pink-haired third member of that infamous team 7 everybody was talking about. Not to mention, she was no longer an apprentice of the Hokage, was deemed inadequate for dangerous missions by the very man who "tutored" her since she was twelve and had made a deal with a re-born S-class crazy criminal.

Still, she couldn't help but feel just a tiny bit excited.

Because, something major was going on. And, it was only happening to _her._

**A/N: I'm not sure how Sakura could be so excited at the prospect of living with an obsessive puppet master, but ya gotta give the girl a break right? Finally, some action and she's the only one it's happening to. A breakthrough! :-)**

**Thank you so much for those two last long reviews- I love feedback and criticism, so don't hold back! I'm so honored that there are beings that believe this story is decent (Hear that world?! There's hope for me yet! :-D)**

**I hope this chapter didn't disappoint. **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The rules

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Sakura was wrong.

She was wrong, wrong- so very, very _wrong_. Dealing with a new "room-mate" wasn't going to be anywhere _near_ fun, or exciting or anything relaxing and definitely _NOT _enjoyable.

Sasori was a brute. Even worse, he was a _man brute, _and excluding her medical knowledge she had no idea how to deal with the opposite sex. Especially people as extreme as the red-haired.

He was _everywhere, _and not in the good sense. Sakura could feel his eyes whenever she moved into his line of sight (which was pretty often, considering her apartment wasn't big enough)- she was _positive _he was trailing her back all the time until she finally slammed a door behind her. Even then, she never felt secure or alone. Showering in peace or sleeping soundly were activities she dearly missed above all. She never found evidence of his sneaking around, but man, even seeing him _once _was good enough to make her feel like wounded prey for the rest of the day.

Unlike their first few days of "meeting" and "discussing", Sasori hadn't spoken more than two sentences to her every day or so. It was basically this- once a couple of more days passed, and Sasori was _sure _she wouldn't let him starve to death (which was sounding like a better alternative every day) or somehow manage to sneak a knife through his heart, he cut off the entire "sweet talk" (or whatever "lightly cruel" behaviour he called it) and showed his _true _colors.

In a way he was acting a lot more like she always imagined he would- aloof, withdrawn, cold and calculating. The murderer and killer that he really was, and his behaviour gave her enough of a constant reminder of who he really _is. _

She wasn't sure why she was surprised, really. This was Sasori, master puppeteer and professional psychopathic killer. An acute description from the bingo books, Sakura knew. There was only one more thing to add: "Will forcefully use people against their will until an agreement has been made, and live off sucking their blood dry until they are finally given a bit of death, and a lot of peace". This was actually something she had written in her journal.

Which was another thing she was constantly worried about. She _knew _he read through her books and textbooks- he did, and although she didn't mind…_ much_, she drew the line at personal. Sakura couldn't tell her _friends _all her secrets, and her journal was a messy book of all her thoughts, troubles and problems. Her handwriting wasn't _beautiful_ (one of the perks of being a medical kunoichi), or understandable at some points and she never wrote in a straight line. She wrote what came to mind, when and why- she had no way with words, but instead of a therapist (that are known gossip spreaders) this was a great alternative.

Sasori wasn't really fond of her either. For one, he didn't like her cooking and reminded her of her lack of ability in the area of the kitchen with passion ("I might as well have bent down, and licked the dirt under my feet.", "Are you _sure _this is sushi?", "How did you roast this meat? By sending it to the sun?" or "There is a new term for the culinary books; _under-_done."). He disliked the messy drawings in her living room, her hair, small fridge and her lack of "taste" in tee. And, as of late, the fact that she always had her _guard_ _up_ around a 3 meter radius of him (Which, she honestly couldn't help but do). At first, her tense body in his presence amused him to no end (She saw those hidden smirks as much as he saw her constantly look behind her back), but now whenever he saw a sign of her awkwardly still body he'd glare as if she was the nastiest cretin on Earth.

Sakura had problems with Sasori, but even she had to admit that they _could _find even ground (Very small, crooked, leftover rocks in a pit sorta ground). He _was _clean and very precise in handling his belongings (which included cleaning his array of poisoned weapons from his _smaller _scrolls), he despised a dirty mess to a point Sakura could applaud to (very _slowly_, but applaud nevertheless) and he wasn't obnoxious, annoying or loud (No- that role was still reserved for her, it seems).

If she could describe him in one word, it would be: old man.

Which wasn't that far off. Technically speaking, he was supposed to be 40-something if it wasn't for his rather, uhm, _fortunate _(?) encounter with the dark side of dead things earlier on. Sakura wasn't sure when she had fought him if Sasori had the mentality of a 40 year old or a 25 year old- he was so quiet and deadly, there wasn't much time for questioning mindless things. But seeing he had been resurrected in a 20- something year old body, she supposed…

Well, she still had no clue really.

Either way, Sakura knew that living with a resurrected assassin wasn't going to be _easy_, but her patience was running at a thin line. The fact her _fear_ of Sasori (Yes, she was scared of him damn it) prevented her from landing any vengeful punches for his very rude comments and glares and given the fact she was frustrated to _no end_ on Kakashi's lack of faith in her abilities, combined with her now totally _screwed up life… _

It was hard for her to go on like everything was _fine_.

**XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX**

She wasn't sure when exactly she had decided it, but the night she went out to train was the night she finally snapped. _/It has been a fucking week since we've made that stupid vow/ _She punched, kicked and clawed at the stuffed practice dummy in front of her, the replacement for all her current frustrations. _/And I just keep letting him run all over me like he owns my _life _or something!/ _She screamed and landed the finishing blow, all her chakra focused in one point.

_/NO MORE!/ _She roared inside her head as straw and splinters of wood exploded into her face. She coughed up the dust and shook off stray twigs from her messy bun. Her loose black practicing shirt was covered in sweat and glued itself to her skin in the most uncomfortable and awkward places. Her baggy grey sweatpants were a different story, her favourite clothing overall. Loose, comfortable and never sweaty no matter how much she ran into them.

She gave the clearing a one-over, sighing as she dug and covered dirt in some of the bigger and more noticeable cracks and holes of the ground. Training was excellent for letting out frustrations, but grounds were strictly forbidden for use after seven. And it was _nine _now, basically bedtime for the younger and older people. Sakura would never _dare _do this years earlier or before the War- she was quite good with the law and had no intention of breaking it, plus ANBU were tricky to notice or deal with. It had become easier now- her chakra training had expanded her senses and sensory abilities (not that there weren't any close-calls; in fact, there were too _many_ to count at the beginning), and she didn't want to train in broad daylight. Too many familiar faces- and not enough strength for her to deal with anyone.

She stretched, did breathing exercises and cracked her bones- sneaking in the raining grounds was easy, sneaking back out was far more difficult. She was mentally and physically drained; getting caught and turned in was easy to happen. For that purpose, sneaking about and around the guards was done as slowly and carefully as possible- it trained her patience and silence, so it was basic extra training. Her eyes darkened as she waited behind a bench for the ANBU guard to leave his post _/Besides, if Kakashi ever found out, I'd be on D-ranked missions or hospital duty for life/. _He could try and ruin her career, but her life was another matter entirely.

They gust of wind and swirl of leaves was all the warning she needed, and Sakura scurried her way quickly through the maze of trees and paths, towards the red bridge, also known as Team 7's meeting place. _/Well, once known as Team 7's meeting place/ _She scowled as she neared the bridge- partially because of her _team _and the other part because of the jonin on it. _/What perfect time for extra guard duty/ _She bit her lip as she crouched in the bushes- _/Uhhhh, God, what would Naruto do?/ _She scrunched her nose in distaste and glared in thin air. _/Announce his presence to the world and face the enemy head on. / _She seated herself more comfortably with a sigh. _/And probably still win. He's not a ninja- he's a power machine./ _

She decided to sit this one out- jonin were almost never on guard duty, and they bored easily. Most lacked patience or the steady rhythm of things to do; they soon left for another spot. Still, some were experienced and not as eager, and it was all a matter of who-snapped-first.

As she was catching her breath and desperately trying not to fall asleep from exhaustion, her thoughts led to one of her more _unloved _subjects; her team. It made her feel uncomfortable and angry thinking about it- at herself, them, _him… _She wasn't really sure anymore. When was the last time she saw them? When was the last time she _really _saw them, not just passed by? When was the last time they gathered together, at Ichiraku's or at the bridge? When was the-

When had they _ever _hung out like an actual team did?

Sakura glared at that random jonin hard- she was really starting to hate his guts. How much more whistling could he take before eventually choking? She gathered another 10 seconds, before she personally took care of the problem. She stared at the berries to her left as the faces of all her "teammates" appeared in her head- why the hell was she feeling guilty? Why were they just ignoring _her, _ignoring _them?! _Damn- why couldn't she just be _angry _at them? Why? She deserved some solo time and peace of mind- why the hell were they… they…

Various calling and shouting lured her gaze back to the bridge, and Sakura face-palmed as there were now _two _jonin instead of one, chatting away. She slumped her back and breathed deeply. _/Right- tonight isn't my lucky night…/ _She looked toward the ledge far off, the only one not illuminated by the street lights. _/I have no choice. Like always/ _She closed her eyes for just a moment, imagining her warm bed back home, and with motivation in mind, crouched on all fours as she crawled like a turtle (at the speed of one) through bushes, sticky branches and jagged rocks.

She ran towards the ledge and almost rolled down to the small pond-river. After making _sure _her presence was still unknown, she looked at the waist deep running water with her very best grimace. Wincing, she dipped a cautious sandal in it- and almost immediately withdrew it. _/NO, no, no, no, no, no…absolutely not/ _She shivered and looked back, up the way she came. She was still not _inside_ the village and buildings, and the chances of her getting away with an explanation off "I got into a fist fight that lasted 3 hours" was very, extremely _low. _She gave the water a look.

_/I'm going to regret this/ _She gulped, and slowly walked into the freezing waters, wondering if she could get away by throwing some onto a certain roommate…

**XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX**

20 painfully long minutes later, and Sakura had successfully (and _barely_) crossed the bridge, a couple of more road blocks plus guards and found herself into the sanctuary of half-empty streets and various buildings covering both her sides. She was starving, exhausted, _freezing _and wet all over (courtesy of tripping and slipping under water, then staying under until the guards left).

All the way as she stomped through the pavement and dirt towards her house, there were only bloody headless read-heads in her mind and _changes. /No more beating around the bush/ _She hugged herself, sneezing loudly. _/From now on, there are going to be more rules and regulations/ _Sakura repeated to herself over and over again. _/We might have agreed to live together, but we as hell never agreed _how_/ _She could see the apartment complex.

All too soon, she found herself climbing her way through stairways, thinking on over-drive and pumping herself up with the little adrenaline she had left. _/Don't give in Sakura/ _She breathed deeply, narrowing her eyes. _/Don't be scared, you coward. He knows I come back late/ _She reminded her gut, and quickly shook her head. She had to focus. Right. _/Just storm in there, slam the door open, open your mouth and spit out the harsh, _new _reality in his face/._

Who ever said pep-talks never helped?

And she did exactly that- she opened the door, stomped her way in (and threw her shoes off without a care in the world. Her mother would be screaming her head off) and upon reaching the living room, took a deep breath and turned the lights on.

"I-…Can't believe you're sleeping in my room! _Again_!" She thundered out loud, staring at the empty couch with fury. Oh, did she forget to mention he invaded her bed whenever she wasn't in a 5 feet radius near it? "Arghh!" She scratched her head and messed up her already fucked-up hair, swearing loudly. All that preparation, gone to waste because someone conveniently relocated.

_ ./ _She breathed, reigning in her temper- she needed him to take her seriously, not blow her off for a screaming banshee that finally lost it. He needed to fear_ her_, for once. She stormed off, through the short hallway and stopped in front of her own door. Her heart was beating like crazy, and her mind was second-guessing this; but Sakura already made her choice.

She replayed her earlier plan- but this time, there was a messy and fully awoken criminal staring back at her with anger, shock and… _/What…?/ _She gave him a confused glance, before shaking her head and opening her mouth. Damn- this was so much harder than she thought it would be.

"I" She sighed and took a deep breath _/My pride is at stake here/ _"I think-_No…_From now on, things are going to go a bit differently around here." He was still on the same spot, pissed or surprised- she wasn't sure, but he was _listening. _"It's obvious you don't like some of my habits, I don't like some of yours and we _aren't really friends" _Understatement of the year. "So…so…" She sneezed loudly and swore- _/I can't even keep up a speech for 10 seconds, for the love of God/ _

"From now on, we are going to be following some mutual house rules."

"Alright."

"Now, I don't care if you don- cooould you repeat that?" Sakura breathed, staring at Sasori with wide eyes. Had her exhaustion got her to the point of hearing hallucinations? For a moment, she thought he _agreed _with her.

Sasori sat up a bit more in his bed (completely shirtless too, and she was so glad she was already flushed from the cold) and gave her one of his annoyed, blunt looks that just pitied over her incompetence and plain ignorance at the world. "I said '_Alright_'. Or are your ears as wet as your brain?"

Sakura ignored the insult for her own sake, gaping at him. "So, what, you're actually agreeing with me?"

"I know; it's unbelievable." He was actually _amused _with her. _/Ugh, did I fall asleep on that bridge?/ _

"On the whole… making up our house rules that the other should follow thing?" She repeated, tilting her head to the side. "_That _thing?"

"No- on skinning you alive." He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over a nicely developed and very naked chest. "_Yes, _that thing."

"Yes on the skinning, or…?"

"Yes on your idea of the house rules!" Wow- he was actually _yelling_, this was pretty rare. Sakura wondered why he'd be so annoyed- oh right, she woke him up from his sleep. "Are you even _listening, _little girl?" He inquired after he murmured something that she didn't quite catch. She just waved him off tiredly and slumped next to the doorframe, letting her limbs relax.

"Too tired." She yawned loudly, as her eyes felt very heavy all of a sudden. "Going to sleep~" She turned off the light to Sasori's room (_her _room, that's right) and clambered her way through the darkness and hopefully somehow slip onto the sofa. Not once did it come to mind to fight for her bed or pillow- it all seemed so distant and stupid at the moment.

As she tripped her way through navigating to a dark hallway and living room, she didn't notice the light footsteps follow her. She was fast asleep before she hit the sofa, not even taking a blanket or taking off her moist clothing.

She dreamt of poison running through her ears, and cold snow invading her lungs. There were snakes wrapped around her head and there were dark and blond boys in her eyes. But all of that disappeared, as a large brown bear wrapped around her and offered her the safety and warmth she desired, without a word.

**XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX**

When she woke up, it was still late into the night and the moon shone through the open window. She blinked heavily, wondering vaguely where in the world she was. She wiped away the grime from her eyes and shivered as a cold sleeve touched her nose. She glanced at her wet and dirty training clothes in wonder, and looked around a bit better.

She was in her room, in her bed and in her training clothes. Bits and pieces of events flooded her mind, but nothing made sense. _/I don't remember getting into my bed…/ _But she _did _remember another person that did. And he was in it half-naked, last time she checked.

Blushing heavily, she looked around herself quickly, warily touching the rest of her pillows and the edges of the bed for any heads. There were none. Instead of relieving her, it only confused her more. _/We were talking- well, I was talking about the new house rules and he _agreed/ It was still hard for her to believe in that, but oh well. _/And then he started mentioning skinning me…or something…/ _

And then she went to the living room.

Did she ever make it there? She wasn't quite sure, but something must have happened. She had a pretty good guess of what probably _did _happen, but since Sasori was a cold-blooded monster she doubted it. Instead, she let her imagination make the ideas as she set about changing into warm pyjamas. _/Maybe I kicked his butt while sleepwalking and threw him out of the bed/ _She mused happily, grinning at the happily kicked out chibi Sasori by awesome chibi Sakura vision in her mind's eye.

She squirmed uncomfortably as she discarded her river-wet clothes. _/Ugh. He could of at least taken- woke me up to take them off/ _She quickly corrected herself from the horrible thought she almost let slip. Right. She would feel a lot more _annoyed _if he had done it himself. Since he was already half-naked… Really awkward situation right there.

Yeah.

As she exited her small bathroom, warm and dry clothes on, she looked at her desk casually. Her journal was on it, its huge lock and seal (because she was that paranoid) still in place. Her eyes were distant, hazed over, and before she knew it she was sitting down on her seat and opening a new page. She turned on her lamp and grabbed a pen, biting its end. She hummed thoughtfully and quickly scribbled something. Her eyes were tired and her head fell onto the desk, safely tucked away by her arms.

_**Tonight, right before I woke him up and prepared to scream at him, Sasori looked at me with worry.**_

**A/N: Awwww- isn't that sweet? Tell me this wasn't sweet- I dare ya.**

**Which actually translates to: Please review! XD**

**I worked my butt off for this chapter (I have no idea why I'm focusing so much on this story), but I just had to after seeing such lovely reviews! (Thank you guys! Much wow and thanks *cause hugs and kisses aren't free with me*)**

**See? Reviews DO help! :-P (Especially considering I studied crap today cause of this- yey for me)**

**This is my biggest chapter so far! (Runner up by 11 words XD) **

**Which translates to: Dont expect anything soon. X-(**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Conversation gone…

**A/N: School is a big frustration for me currently, and my life likes to bite me in the ass now and then with it (They're the perfect tag team, I swear).**

**I apologize if this wasn't as quick as I intended it to be… At least it's here.**

**XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX**

Morning came too quickly for some.

For others, it couldn't have been slower.

_/Ouch/ _Sakura groaned as she blinked her eyes open. Her elbows and back were sore and aching; not to mention her chin and legs… _/Oh dear God, I fell asleep on the table!/ _She stretched out her arms, slumping in exhaustion from her awkward sleeping/sitting position _/Again. I've got to stop writing in my diary late at night damnit!/ _

She stood tiredly and made her way to the bathroom, vaguely wondering if it was still too late to go back to sleep. Her eyes were so weary and heavy... Just as she finished doing her business and washing her hands still half-asleep, the decision was made when she saw her bed; open and inviting. _/I don't care if I sleep in/ _She resolved strongly, almost in a zombie-like trance as she approached the unoccupied and clean bed_. Her _warm and clean bed. _/Just for a few hours… Everything else can-/_

Her relaxing thoughts were interrupted as her foot slipped and flew forward. Sakura gasped, eyes wide awake and open, and threw her arms and body around, desperately trying to regain her balance. In one moment she was like a panicked chicken flapping wildly about. In the next, she was gripping the small cupboard next to her to the point the edges began to crack. She stiffened and calmed down her heart and nerves.

Awkwardly sidestepping the long blue cloth material that almost gave her a bad bruise, she glared at it as her fingers picked it up. _/This isn't mine…/ _She thought, staring at the slightly baggy, long blue pants. They were too big for her and definitely not her style- they felt dry and smelled like a desert wind. Nope; not hers at all. On the other hand, she knew exactly _who's_ they were_. _

_/Oh, for the love of…/ _She bristled, making a sour face as she clenched it and walked out of her room, irritated and full of energy all of a sudden. _/Leaving his things all over the place…/ _She stormed through the small hallway and quickly found herself in the living room.

He was already up and dressed, lounging on the sofa and reading some academy scroll of hers or whatnot. She rolled her eyes at the sight _/Typical. Little Mister perfect…/ _Grumbling, she 'Ahemd' loudly and quickly threw _his _pants in his face the moment he turned her way.

He effectively caught it, ruining her triumphant moment and making her bad mode even worse. And, he hasn't even said anything yet. His capability of pushing her buttons was impeccable, really. _/I am going to kill him one day/ _She thought bitterly _/Again./_

"I think _that_ is _yours._" Sakura hissed, glaring at those blunt eyes which regarded her with irritation. Not like she really gave a damn now. "And if you have enough time to study _my _scrolls, you might as well have studied something more _useful_ instead." She made her way to the kitchen next door, forgetting about the bed, her appearance or the fact she was still in her pyjamas. She needed to keep her hands busy from re-decorating Sasori's face.

As always, instead of angrily retorting like any _normal _person would, Sasori twisted her own words and spat them right back at her. "Are you implying _your_ scrolls aren't useful?" She could hear his amused tone loud and clear, even in the small yellow kitchen of hers that was once a personal sanctuary. _/Nothing's a sanctuary nowadays…/ _

"No!" She snapped immediately, taking some eggs and cold left-over rice from the fridge, dropping them down angrily on a counter next to the stove. She had to cook-right. "It is useful for _me_. Not for _you_." She bit back as she took out the pan and turned on the heat.

"Different thinking- different point of views." Sasori mumbled after a stretched silence, and Sakura took that as a small, but significant victory for her. _/Sanity-1, Artist-0/ _She was cracking up eggs and cutting op some crunchy bread when Sasori spoke up again. "Besides, what's more useful to study, in _your_ opinion?"

Sakura thought about that for a while. "…Cooking, for example." She dead-panned, glaring in the direction of the living room. "Since you _hate _my food so much." She grumbled, internally preparing for the comeback. As always, Sasori didn't disappoint.

"I'll wait until food poisoning finally kicks in." He stated with boredom, before it turned menacingly sweet as Sakura's vein pulsed dangerously at the previous comment. "And is that the thanks I get, after I carried your bumbling-self back into your room last night?"

She blushed, taking out the plates and placing the finished eggs on them, staining the glimmering white. Why did she engage conversation with him again? _/So, it was him after all…/_ She thought in agitation as she rolled lumps of rice and placed them in the rice cooker, trying to cool down her face and erase the image of a shirtless and lazy Sasori in her bed from last night.

Really, why did she even _remember _that? _/No! Stop it! He's the enemy! Not handsome at ALL/ _Sakura huffed angrily at her brain, but it was a lost battle. The images just kept getting worse the more she denied them all. How her subconscious could be so perverted at just the _right _time was beyond her. She took the finished meals to the table and retorted to that taunt _when_ her face cooled down considerably enough.

"I wish you didn't do that. Now I'll have to scrub myself clean after knowing you _touched _me." She muttered, placing the finished eggs, loafs of bred and warm onigiri- probably the only thing Sasori could stand most from her meals (which were not that _bad_ at all)- on the table, taking her seat on the tatami mat. Really, this was the thanks she got for providing him food and shelter? _/Pampered dumb artist/ _

She promptly ignored him as he plumped down on his own seat, taking a bite of onigiri without a word of thanks. It was _really _annoying. Just enough to make her snap all over again. "Besides, why did you even carry me there? I slept on sheets that were infected by your psychotic germs; Why, thank you _sooo _much." The tone of sarcasm was loud and clear, and Sakura ignored the fact that technically she didn't sleep _on_ it that much. She was pissed right now- emotions overrule reason then, right?

"Plus, you could off woken me up. I _was _soaking wet. Right, thanks for helping me lower my chances of falling ill." She continued angrily, the words pouring from her mouth automatically. She was burning up by now. "And who allowed you to sleep shirtless in _my _bed?" She added furiously, waving a fork at him.

Sasori took it all in with a blank and bored gaze, munching on his eggs and bread. Like always. The fact he wasn't even reacting to her heavy accusations was enough to light up fire in her stomach. _/Obnoxiously emotionless is another thing to add on the list/ _

"Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the _world._" Sasori gulped down his food, mildly commenting "It's gross" before taking another large bite and continuing his I'm-surrounded-by-idiot(s) talk. "I'm not even sure why you're complaining. I _tried _to wake you up, but you were dead to the world." He swallowed. _/Liar/ _Sakura glared _/Even a ghost can wake _me_ up/ _Just one of the many things she had to add on that ever-growing list of hers.

"I'm surprised you're even up. And despite my so called '_faults', _I'm not a molester of any kind and I don't want you to take it the _wrong _way." He said it as if he _had _done it (Take her clothes off), she wold have fallen head over heels in love with him. As if any sane woman would start kissing him instead of biting his head off for doing such a thing. His ego stained his vision.

"And, I don't sleep shirtless, _little_ _girl._" He smirked widely all of a sudden, like that Cheshire cat, and it was downright malicious to the point of scary.

Sakura narrowed her eyebrows in confusion, restraining herself from gulping out loud at the image in front of her. Sasori was… _frightening. _But in a _different _way right now. _/Smug bastard… And what does he even mean?/ _

"But… I saw you… A-and your chest…" She blushed lightly (Not because she imagined his nicely toned chest _again_\- no, absolutely NOT) at the idea that perhaps she had actually just imagined that entire conversation with him from last night. _/Gross. That'd technically mean I'd dreamed about him/ _She made a face, before neutralizing it into a suspicious frown /_But he remembers it too, so then why…?/ _

He chuckled while she vigorously thought up various explanations, and picked up the blue pants she had thrown at him before, wiggling his ey-

Oh.

…

OH!

_/My GAWD/ _Sakura felt her face heat up like a _volcano _erupted inside her, as something finally clicked in the back of her head. She stared at his demonic giggling form with wide, dinner plate saucers and a growing unease as the realization was starting to get to her.

He slept… naked. Butt naked. In her bed. The place _she_ slept in afterwards (albeit shortly). In her _spot. _

/…/ Her entire head was scampering and screaming with her internally; horrified and- "Y-you…You!..." She pointed at him with a shaky finger, and he just grinned his devil smile at her (All he needed was the horns). He was enjoying this _immensely. /H-he, I-I… MY GOD!/_Her mind was as shocked as she was; for once, they were in perfect coordination.

"Hey, your face is becoming brighter than your hair." He pointed out. "Flustered? Or, are you dreaming up some _happy _images…?" And _that _turned her a shade brighter. _/That pervert! I-I didn't eve-/ _Just like that, an _almost_ naked Sasori lying on a silk bed appeared from _thin air _and she shook her head in denial. _/Noooo! Stoooop!/ _She cried in despair.

"I would _never…._" Sakura hissed, trying to save some face. This was the enemy after all. THE _enemy!_

"Oh? Why so surprised?" Sasori leaned in across the table, just a _tiny_ bit closer. "I clearly remember someone _enjoying _themselves last night." He commented lightly, and Sakura was hit by another wave of embarrassment _/He DIDN'T…!/_

"You couldn't keep your snuggling face off my shoulder. Not to mention, your relaxed exhales-"

Sakura got the point. She _really _did, especially after _this _(Who carries a sleeping girl _naked?_), and she wasn't sure she could take it anymore. It was just too much for her- even for a kunoichi like herself. She could only go so far- actually, this must have been a personal record.

"You PERVERT!" She screamed and did the thing she wished she'd done a long time ago. She slapped him silly, got up and sneered down at him, before scampering off like a frightened kitten. It was a moment of courage completely ruined by the downright closet-pervert he really was; he just let out a light laugh at her slap and smirked. Pfft, fine. Not her fault he's a disturbed individual with abusive issues. At least she left him with a big, fat red hand mark there...

She stormed inside her room, flustered-red face and all. She almost buried her face in the pillows, before she jumped off the bed like it was a virus and sat on the toilet, burying her warm head in her hands.

She wasn't sure how a usual argument suddenly turned in this direction (And when exactly Sasori had decided to taunt her _that _way), and wasn't sure why she was reacting so strongly. He was an ordinary man…_boy_. Ummm; man-boy(?) who had forced her to take him under her roof by making a stupid freaking vow with the _devil _(Aka. Him). He was frightening, menacing and mean. He wasn't nice to her _at all, _and despite his rugged looks (Yes, alright he wasn't that bad-looking. Fine!) he was definitely no Sa-

And just like that, the flustered atmosphere morphed into a restrained and sad tone. /My_ thoughts just turn from bad to worse/ _Sakura mumbled depressingly, her green eyes dimming with sudden sadness. The familiar pang was back and storming the alleys of her heart. She hated it- hated _herself_ for feeling this way, but she couldn't help herself- or _him..._The almost absurd situation from before had lost all its comedy by now, and she lifted her sluggish body and turned the facet on. As she poured the cold water on her face to clean off her embarrassment and sorrow, one thing was for sure.

She was going to be a lot more careful around Sasori from now on. And, burn her bed sheets.

**A/N: It's short and not much, plus I wanted to add some more stuff- but it'll do for now. Think of this as a bonus chappie.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Things are getting serious

**A/N: I've been getting so many lovely reviews, favs and followers for this story I was so touched that I just couldn't let myself leave you all hanging right now. I have so much crap to study, but what the hell, I think you guys deserve it XD**

**XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX**

The next morning when she woke up, Sakura's head was a lot more focused and clear than the day before. She wasn't as grouchy and frustrated- although her stomach hurt like hell, and when she went to do her business with the bathroom that morning, the culprit for yesterday's bipolar behaviour was soon unmasked.

She should have known this was coming, since it _was _her time of the month already. It still always catches her by surprise though, seeing when she was younger her periods were infrequent and few in between- she never bled much either. After the war and when she resolved to sort her feelings for he-who-will-NOT-be-named, she tried to focus on as many things as possible to avoid the depression (which caught up with her in the end, as always). Her own body, and the possible problems she _herself _might contain was dealt with as well, when she got bored enough with the other cases.

Medical shinobi and kunoichi in general don't like to check themselves up; either from paranoia, or the silly conviction that _they_ were the conquerors of diseases, not its victims. Sakura was a little bit of both. Even though Tsunade continuously told her that diseases never picked individuals, and that medical shinobi actually had a _higher _chance of catching various illness, working both in the hospital _and_ in the field.

"_One place is a sanctuary for the heavily ill" She remembered her shishou's lecture, one of the few where she was completely serious. "While the other is wild and foreign, with no antidotes or_ _shots growing in bushes or trees. Don't ignore your body, Sakura. It knows what's wrong. Don't make the same mistake I did." _

And her mentor was right.

She wasn't packed with heavy viruses or anything of the sort, but she _was _surprised to find herself slightly anemic and under-weight. It wasn't serious, but the doctor gave her a _good _look when mentioning her weight. Muscles were needed in shinobi, but even with too much food, too _little_ could also result in disaster. The body needed food for it to function; if the brain finds no food to work with, there is a high chance that the cells will start eating up reserves and tissue- _anything_ that will give it energy.

Starvation is the equivalent of your body eating itself up. That was the textbook definition, but you don't realize how _bad _that sounds till you find yourself underneath the category of people it _might _happen to. She was at the very bottom, but it's not like she was itching to raise up to the charts.

Either way- she started eating more, but also in balance with her greens, and meat was starting to become a personal favourite. _/Ugh, I'm a pink headed monster that's becoming a carnivore./ _She flinched as she put on her light blue tunic, and green pants that reached her knees. _/If Naruto and Kiba ever found out, they'd-/ _

She stopped mid-thought, staring at her appearance in the mirror. She found herself doing that a lot when she was lost in her mind, or when she just didn't want to go down a road that would put her into depression (and a lot of things did that, these days).

Her hair was as messy as it was in the war, and while her cheeks had colour in them now (thanks to those vitamin pills), the bags in her eyes were becoming more pronounced. Her lips tilted upwards slightly._ /All I have to do now is dye my hair red, pull in a few all-nighters and I'd be the carbon copy of the Kazekage himself/ _It was a somber thought of how much she held for her appearance, but it made her grin in the most sadistic way. _/And now I look like that freak-roommate of mine. Damn/ _Her cheeks blushed at the mention of Sasori; yesterday was an embarrassment- for both her behaviour and his, umm…. Honest statements. But she couldn't say it was completely his fault- looking back at it now, she was asking for it. _/And boy, did he deliver./ _

As she reached for her brush and smoothed out a few details, it was a real surprise of how much she had mellowed down now, unlike the weeks before. She was still frustrated with everything that happened- _is _happening to her, but she was finally accepting things the way they were.

Yes, she was living with an utter monster shinobi artist nutcase.

Yes, she did have weight issues and twisted nerves.

Yes, she was still _weak, _and the Hokage tower was alien to her now, unlike before.

Yes, the Hokage still doubted her.

Yes, she was still avoiding everyone and she knew it was only bad for her, not anyone else.

Yes, she still held _feelings _for… _him. _

And she was completely okay with that. Because that's the way things were now, but so what? No need to take it all to heart. "I'm fine." She whispered, as a smile lit up her face. It made her cheeks shiver and her eyes waver, and she scrubbed away the silent tear that _almost _made itself known. "I'm fine, damnit!" She resolved more firmly, her expression turning hollow and distant.

And yes, she knew she was lying to herself. But that was just another thing to accept at the moment.

**XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX**

Sakura gulped hard.

An old acquaintance of her mother waved hello, and she waved back with a smile. The elder looked at her funny, before moving along. She wasn't sure if it was because of her nervous grin and shaking fingers, or the person walking _with_ her. At this point, it might as well could have been both of them.

"Stop shivering so much." A low voice whispered in her ear discreetly. "You're catching attention." And as if to prove his point, he looked around them and at some of the passing civilians. It's not like all eyes were on them, but there were a few suspicious glances thrown at their way. More specifically, her trembling body.

Sakura tried to smile, but she soon realized she was failing miserably, and her head stared at the ground instead. _/Yeah, thank you so much for pointing that out/ _She internally rolled her eyes, focusing on her feet and clenching her hands to stop the trembling. _/Not like I'm nervous enough already!/ _She breathed deeply, and when she was sure she had herself under control, she looked back up in front of her.

She wasn't smiling anymore as much as she was scowling, but at least she was _walking _normally. After a few more steps, and it was like they _weren't_ becoming the centre of attention just a moment ago. She continued indifferently, silently breathing a sigh of relief. Bu it seems even her exhales were too obvious for her unwanted companion.

"Would you just relax already?" He sighed, and as if to force her skin to crawl back down, he grabbed her hand in his, holding it firmly. Sakura's body tensed up at the action immediately, her back stiffening as he gave her a passing glare. "What is your problem, _little girl?_" He hissed out sideways, irritated as much as she was tense.

She gaped at him, her shoulders slouching by force. _/What is MY problem?!/ _She glared at him. _/I'm staring at it/ _And as if to prove a silent point, she looked the other way and stared at passing goods and items for sale. Huffing loudly, she _forced _herself to relax by imagining pounding Sasori's insides into mush.

Why did she let that puppet freak drag himself along with her again?

**XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX**

"_Where are you going?" It was always the same question when she headed outside, drawled in that same lazy tone with a hint of panic beneath that he thought she couldn't sense. It was weird to think that Sasori was flustered at the fact that she _might _be headed to tattletale him to the authorities, seeing she was in no position to do so. And he should have known that better than anyone._

_She got used to the question, but his voice made her tense up a bit. Not because she was planning anything, but because well… he reminded her of what happened yesterday, and the fact she hadn't spoken to him at all after she, er… slapped him._

"_Market." She obliged, but there was no grunt or stray hum in agreement meeting her ears. Huh- he barely acknowledge her at times, but he always voiced in someway that he had heard her answers. She wondered why he was so silent now…_

_Only when she finished putting on her short shinobi sandals, did she realize that he was standing tall right behind her. She jumped from fright and her back hit the door painfully, as she rubbed her head from the impact._ /_Ouch. Déjà vu…/ _

_They stared at each other for a while, and she noticed that with his red T-shirt and black haori, he was wearing a familiar pair of baggy blue pants. Sasori just blinked at her weirdly as she blushed furiously, and lowered her gaze to his feet suddenly. _

_Ha- strange. He'd never seen her so submissive before (except for that stuttering display from yesterday. He earned a good slap that sent him falling to the side, but the mark was worth it). She looked kinda… femininely acceptable._

_/What?/ He shook his head mentally at that. /That sofa's mixing up my brain cells/ He cleared his voice and continued in his usual dull tone, completely devoid of the embarrassing thought he had let slip in his mind._

"_Buying a lot?"_

_Sakura's head snapped up to his face, the blush gone as she looked at him funny. "Oh! Uh- no, just some sweets. Why?" Sasori didn't answer her. Instead he walked dangerously close to her, before circling around her, and grabbing his own black sandals. Sakura stared at the strange action, before her mind made the connection._

"_Woah- hold up!" She grabbed his shoulder as he crouched, and released it immediately when his narrowed eyes located the intruder of his personal space. "Ahem; I-I mean, you're not going _with _me, are you?" Because that was as impossible as it was suicidal. Was he really that pompous to think the ANBU would easily forget about him from the bingo books? Throw in an ex-akatsuki at that, plus her frolicking around with him, and it just spelled disaster in all shapes and sizes._

_Sasori just rolled his eyes at her, his own mind completely devoid of the panic her own felt. "I'm not particularly fond of the idea myself, little girl." He drawled as he dusted his shirt off. "But if I were to recall,_ you_ were the one to suggest about new house rules, weren't you?" He raised that lazy eyebrow of his at her, but Sakura was barely threatened by it._

"_Yes- but in private." She hissed at him, as his fingers clenched around the doorknob. "Not to discuss about it in public with a supposed dead akatsuki criminal!" Her throat made a panicked noise, but he didn't seem to give much meaning to her words as he opened the door. _

_It slammed closed in the next second, Sakura's hand resting upon it. He just gave her a blunt look- but the emotions in his eyes were, among surprise and irritation, a silent question of impatience. Sakura's entire body breathed from relief (he wasn't going to kill her), as she looked at him earnestly._

"_Please Sasori" She said, and her body shivered a bit as his name rolled of her tongue. It didn't sound as unpleasant and poisonous as she thought it would. "Can't we just talk about it after I come back?" _

_She had believed that she had won the battle, despite her obvious whining and silent pouting. He was still silent, and she had foolishly thought she had caught him off guard with his name; and she did partially, since Sasori didn't even know she had bothered to remember his name. _

_A few more moments passed, and just as Sakura was about to declare victory, Sasori let out the shortest syllable he had told her thus far._

"_No." And with that, he forcefully pushed open the door, catching her off guard as she was pushed back and her butt landed on the floor. When she had regained her bearings and her thoughts pilled back into her brain, she was left to run after a now deranged, red-haired psychopath down the stairs and into the streets._

**XXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX**

"I can't believe I let you out of my apartment" Sakura mumbled underneath her brain, perfectly aware that Sasori heard her all the same. She felt him pull her into another pilled street with goods and people, and she gripped his hand harshly. "And stop holding my hand!" She glared at him from the corner of her eyes, before dragging her eyes back to avoid bumping into the many people they passed.

"Why so nervous?" Sasori hummed, seeming to loosen up from his previous annoyance. Sakura looked back, and she felt her heart revert back into a normal rhythm; oh good, those watchful jounin hadn't followed them here, she might be able to breathe easier now. _/I thought I'd get a heart attack back there/_

"I'd be fine if you had stayed home" Sakura told him evenly, seeing there was no point to lower her voice in an already bursting crowd of loud salesman. "Or _changed _into someone else." She added with a growl.

He gave her a lopsided smirk, catching her eye and bending down to her level, making her blush. Ugh- why the hell was this having an effect on her? "Frustrated at my company or _outfit_?" He intentionally lowered his voice to a husky tone, and she felt her neck heat up at the proximity and tone. He grinned at her reaction and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, which just looked so _wrong, _as he backed away to his full height and admired the stands.

"I should have knocked you out." Sakura murmured to herself, giving up internally. They're arguing might make this embarrassing/strange/hilarious (?) situation even more _disturbing_. Not like it could get _worse_, though.

"I don't understand why you're such a nervous wreck" He stated. "Really, now _Sakura, _I thought you'd be _enjoying _this."

"I would have, had you actually _henge'd _into someone that doesn't stick out like a virus-infected, bleeding and sore thumb." She bit back, ignoring the way her name rolled off his tongue. His smooth tone and current appearance were mixing her brain up.

"Like who?"

"Anyone _but_ Sasuke!"

Yes. Yes; Sasori had gone to such measures, to actually _hendge _into not only one of her problems, but currently the most feared person in Konoha that has, also to public knowledge, been on the _other _side _most _of the war. She wasn't sure if this was Karma biting her in the ass, or if it was just Sasori.

And she was _walking _next to him. _And _conversing with him.

_/We're going to jail/ _Sakura whimpered; the small, cold and dirty cell filled with rats already fresh in her vision. _/We're going to jail, and the last person I'll see before the cockroaches eat me up will be this jackass next to me/ _It wasn't a comforting thought.

She had to do _something. _

"Really; I get it if it was to frustrate_ me, _but do you have any idea how risky being" She stopped short here for a moment, licking her lips before continuing. It's been such a long time since she had used his name so much."-_Sasuke _is?!"

Once again, Sasori didn't share her fear. "No, not really." He effortlessly used one of his wires and grabbed a good looking apple from one of the stales, munching on it. "_Enlighten_ me."

Sakura sighed. "For one, _that _is considered stealing, and you could get your chakra sealed off for a _week_ if you get caught." She explained, but Sasori just looked at his apple for a few moments, before continuing to devour it with even bigger bites and enjoyment. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Two, what if the _real _Sasuke sees us?" She glared at him, as he threw the leftovers behind his back and successfully hit a trashcan a couple of meters back. Show-off. "I'm not sure that an argument of being a long, lost twin is going to work."

"Really little girl." He gulped, finishing his meal and licking his fingertips. It looked… well, a couple of girls passing by almost tripped and fainted. _/I know it's a freak, yet my eyes keep telling me it's not/ _She shook her head. The sooner this was over, the better.

"Do you think so little of me?" He countered. "I took this form for a _reason. _There is nothing for you to worry about- the Uchiha is on a mission, and nobody will bother me with unnecessary questions this way." He smirked. "The Leaf truly is soft for being intimidated so easily by a teenage weeping brat."

"Aha." Sakura's voice dripped with fake honey and poisonous sugar, ignoring the stab thrown at Sasuke. All she knew, he deserved it (a bit). "And how are you gonna hide your two arms there, _hmm_?" To her recent knowledge from all the gossip sent back and forth from talkative jounin at night (courtesy of her training escapades), Sasuke's prosthetic arm was still in the making, so she was surprised he had gone on a mission so soon.

_/You're just jealous that the "Hokage" trusts a powerful former _and _crippled enemy to a mission more than _you_/ _Her lovely brain supplied helpfully, and she _really _missed her inner at these times. _/I'm starting to think growing up had a lot more problems than benefits/ _

"One of the reasons why I'm wearing this lovely poncho" Sasori supplied, and spread his arms lightly, before putting them back flat on his side, hidden from view. It did _fit _him, but that's more than she could say for the poncho itself.

She scrunched up her nose at the bleary and faded thing. "You picked it up from that hobo near the garbage can. How can you even _touch _that thing?" And she had thought that he held some regard for clean things; how wrong she was.

"Correction; that wasn't a hobo, but a perfectly healthy, wandering _drunk _and the henge gives me another layer over my body, so the itchiness or infections can't touch _me _at all." Sasori gave her a sideways glare as if he _knew _what she was thinking, and it was weird for Sakura to stare into both the sharingan and rinnengan eyes without her brain getting somehow infected. She had to hand it to Sasori- his henge was perfect to the smallest detail, it was scary.

"And it also helps by embarrassing the Uchiha as much as possible." He added with a sly smirk. Well- that explained why he'd go so far.

"Alright. But how do you plan to keep this appearance up all day?" She stared at his head. "And what's with the bandages?" If anything puzzled her most, it was the bandages put above his forehead.

"Well, I hope you won't drag me around _all _day." He stated, before lightly brushing his head with his fingertips. "And this- this matches my _lovely _garments." He stated quite seriously. "Plus, you don't expect me to walk around with chicken-ass hair all day, do you?"

Sakura couldn't help it- she laughed. And, unlike her doubts, she _had_ enjoyed herself for the rest of the morning. After she realized that it was unlikely they run into any shinobi or familiar _friends _this early in the morning, she let herself go with the flow. They bickered a lot and joked: she was laughing her butt of at Sasori's humour and he even cracked a smile here and there too. She was having such a good time, that even though he was dressed up in a Sasuke (as he had dubbed it), she _saw _Sasori.

It was weird and amazing, and she wondered how she could possibly smile so much and have so much fun after such a depressing time, and with her arch enemy, at that. She had not even _thought _of turning him in t the Hokage, not once. That was the only thing that worried her, but even that was pushed behind her head for the time being.

They visited dango shops, cake shops and Sasori had even spotted a candy/ café shop that she had never been to in her childhood, and had immediately regretted after spending an hour in it. They were walking down the first market street they had visited that morning, licking ice cream and spotting all the new animal shaped masks and green uniforms jumping around the rooftops.

The shinobi were waking up, and the civilians were beginning to draw back to cook lunches or pick up their children from school. Their time was drawing to a close, and they were walking on a thin rope by still not heading towards the apartment building. She was painfully aware of that; but Sasori was the one to first point it out.

"They're beginning to crawl from their holes and into civilization again." He supplied evenly, being as serious as he could with all the new enemy chakra he was sensing jumping around him. Sasuke didn't smile after all, and neither did Sasori (much), but he still looked hilarious licking a chocolate popsicle with a straight face.

Sakura sighed sadly. "I know." She mumbled, her own face stuffed into her vanilla-strawberry flavoured ice cream.

Sasori raised an eyebrow her way. "Don't tell me you actually had _fun?_" He gaped at her in fake-shock. "With _me_, of all people?"

Sakura gave him a small smile. "Yeah I know; I must have finally cracked, right?"

"Obviously." He agreed with a snort. "Seeing as we did a lot of walking, but no talking about those house-rules of yours, ha, little girl?" He probably meant it as a joke, but Sakura flinched either way. He was right- this seemed like wasted time, since they never even _mentioned _that, despite the fact this outing was meant for that specific purpose. _/Well, not completely wasted/ _She tried to comfort herself, but it only made her feel worse.

"I wouldn't say it like that." She licked her melting strawberry absently. "House-rules. It's more like… knowing what the other person dislikes, and trying to not do that as much as possible."

Sasori/Sasuke snorted. "So what; like a FAQ?"

"Yeah, kinda." She admitted sheepishly. Secretly though, Sakura was beginning to be more interested in the person that was Akasuna Sasori than some meager rules. He was fascinating to her, even more so after this outing, she had to admit; ever since she had battled him, she had always been itching to ask about or (dare she go so far) _learn _some of his tactics- they were functional and original, and most of all swift and to-the-point.

Puppetry was something she gave a wide berth from bitter experience, but some taijutsu moves that he used on his own puppets (who were in reality, fragile and easily breakable) were on her mind most of her training sessions more than she'd like to admit.

Not that he had to know that.

"Fascinating." He drawled out after a few minutes passed, giving her a suspicious glance with a hint of interest thrown in it. "I'm not sure if you're pulling my leg, or that you're _actually _interested."

She huffed, meeting his glance with a mock-glare of her own. "I just spent an entire morning with you, and you're still here and not rotting in a secluded cell somewhere below my feet." Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "_Yes- _this is all a façade to have you killed before noon. That's why all these ninja are jumping around. Uhh- you've got me."

She smiled, and despite the glare he sent at her offending tone, he glanced at a passing clock for a second and glared at a passing chunin that _glanced _at him. Sakura's jaw dropped. "I don't believe it." She pointed an accusing finger at him. "You're actually _threatened _by that half-baked plan that I just made up, aren't you?"

Sasori coughed loudly. "Absolutely not. I've had broken senbon thrown at me sharper than _that._" But she just ignored his comment.

"Oh my Gosh- you _are_, aren't you?" She gushed, chuckling behind her hand. The ice cream was already licked clean. "Really, now, that's cute." She cooed. "Aww, I didn't know I was such a scary, pink-haired chick."

Sasori/Sasuke gritted his teeth in warning. "_Little __**girl**__…_" He whispered ominously, but Sakura already had her hands up in defeat, grinning like an idiot. "Alright, alright; I know when I'm beaten…"

The atmosphere calmed back into a natural rhythm after that, and Sakura's stomach dropped back into its pit. She wasn't as calm as she was on the outside- for just that tiny moment, she was reminded of exactly _who _she was dealing with. The calm morning and that piece of paper that kept them from killing each other was making her a bit over-confident.

"Fine, then." Sasori said in the most reluctant tone he could make without it sounding like sulking (which it was). "You go first."

"Hmmm…?" She looked around, trying to make up ideas. It just popped into her mind as they passed the tapestry store. "Favourite colour?" She turned to him expectantly, since she was already guessing the answer.

"Really? You have to chance to interview _me_, and _that's _how you start with?" He stated. "I'm hurt."

"Let me guess- Its red, right?" She laughed, seeing it was only fitting for it to be like that. Sasori of the red sands, red hair… _Akatsuki. _Really, it was the only possible answer.

She was surprised when he mutely shook his head.

"Uhhh- now you've got me interested." Her eyes sparkled. "Then it's…?"

"Violet." He proclaimed, and looking at him it _seemed _fitting for him to have that as his favourite colour. But that was because he looked like _Sasuke. _

"Really?" She looked at him strangely, shaking her head. What did she expect though? Sasori was full of surprises. "I knew you were a _violent _type of guy, but still…"She snorted with laughter at her own words.

"I don't see why you're so surprised." He murmured. "And, please, don't try to crack jokes. You're bad at it." He added with cruel honesty, and she grinned nervously. _/I guess some things go by genes/ _She concluded, and image of her cackling father in her mind.

"And what about you?" He questioned. "Pink, I presume?"

Her short, messy locks shook from side to side. "No; it's red, actually."

Sasori's eyes winded just a fraction at her answer, before reverting into their usual lazy and arrogant shapes. "I don't even know why I'm surprised. It's the infamous Uchiha, isn't it? Can't say the sharingan isn't as useless as it looks though." Her heart skipped a beat at the mention of _that _particular thing and person, but she knew he meant well (well, not entirely), and couldn't possibly know about her obsession with the henge look-alike walking next to her.

"No- it's actually the colour of the first present I ever got from a friend." She admitted, smiling as she remembered the younger days when she picked flowers with Ino, and Sasuke was just a random kid in their class. "And ever since then… I don't know really. It just became tradition, I guess, to wear something red on me all the time."

"I see that tradition didn't hold out long." He looked at her from top to bottom, and Sakura wondered if he had somehow realized that she was _staring _at the reason it didn't. "Or I have gone colour-blind in this exact moment."

She snorted. "I won't dignify that with an answer." They turned the corner, and were finally on the right path where their own hole quietly awaited them. "Let's move on to happier themes."

"I'm not sure- I find your sappy, sad childhood drama quite entertaining."

"Oh yeah?" Sakura put her hands on her hips. "Well then, mister Morbid. What was your childhood…" The words slowed down, and she felt her steps becoming weaker until she stopped entirely. "Like…?" She blabbed out, eyes half lidded as the world seemed to haze and spin around her. _/What../_

Her body felt heavy all of a sudden, and she felt something stretch through her insides and organs, until it wrapped around her lungs and heart tightly. It made her breath stop and her beating slow down to a level she knew was dangerous. The last thing she saw wasn't an image of Sasuke in a poncho, but Sasori, looking back at her with wide and frightened eyes. There were pattern of stranger letters stretching across his face and body, and they glowed, and they were the only thing she could see as the world turned white.

**A/N: 14 fucking pages- wau, I'm so regretting this in the near future. This is what happens when people give me reviews XD (Damn)**

**I bet none of you know what happened at the end there, ha? Bet you weren't expecting that, did you? Even though you should have, since the chapter screams for itself- things **_**are**_** getting serious. Not dangerous, or **_**that**_** serious- but worrying.**

**Sasuke's Mexican look from the Last is finally explained; it was Sasori that started the trend, after all. X3 **

**I'm doing a personal project for a friend (aka. writing her a completely original story), if anyone's wondering, so that's why Im incapable of writing this story so frequently. Although your support might change my mind! (But, the story will survive with or without it anyways).**

**Fave or follow- comments and criticism are welcome as well.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Double trouble

**A/N: If you want any info on where I was all this time, it's all on my profile. **

**I'd like to thank every favorite and follow, and individual that has given this story a chance. Thanks you guys- it means a lot.**

**Now- off to the story!**

**XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXx**

She was falling over and fast. He had no idea what was happening- in one moment, she was completely fine and ready to inquire about a subject he _didn't _want to share at all- not now or _ever_. In the next, it was like she had turned into a porcelain doll, bending over the moment a breeze flew by.

He also didn't like the fact how he saw a flash of familiar golden seals, twist over her face and body like chains for the briefest of seconds before disappearing entirely.

Sasori cursed inwardly, and in a speed that would make even the yellow flash blink, he was by her side, effectively catching her head from meeting the floor. In the next second, they were gone from the buzzing streets and puzzled views of onlookers and into a nearby alleyway, hidden from view.

He crouched and supported her upper body on his legs and chest, briefly checking to make sure his bangs were still in his face and black. _Good _He exhaled softly _The henge held. _His chakra released at times when he panicked- it was why he preferred using puppets overall.

He narrowed his strangely colored eyes, and glared down at his current patient. She was still breathing; but her eyes were glazed over and they rotated left and right in slow movements. _At least she's still conscious. _

"Sakura." He hissed out slowly, making sure not to alarm her senses. He ignored the way his tongue rumbled her name. It sounded so foreign to his ears to call her so casually like that.

When she made no movement of looking up or finally realizing what was going on, he hesitantly touched her cheek and called her name- louder this time. "_Sakura- _Sakura can you hear me?"

Only after he started lightly slapping her cheeks did she finally fix her unfocused attention onto him. She tried squinting up at him, but was too dazed to look at him clearly. "Sasuke…?" She croaked out in a silent whisper. "Sasuke, what are you doing?" Her words were blurred and they fell over each other, but Sasori could still sense a blizzard of emotions they conveyed. Disbelief, anger, sadness, hope… _affection. _That last one made him raise a brow and wonder just _how _intimately she knew the remaining Uchiha demon.

When Sakura's trembling fingertips touched his cheek, he snapped himself back into reality with a jolt, and quickly backed his head away, his skin shivering from the contact. _Not now _He growled inside his mind, effectively silencing whatever monster was prepared to emerge from him. He shook his head and decided to revert his eyes back into their natural dull amber color, hoping the bewildered girl would recognize him already. "Sakura- it's _me._"

She just blinked up at him, looking even more confused. "Of course I know it's you Sasuke-kun." She whispered heavily, before pulling her eyes shut with a groan. Sasori sighed and muttered a few specific words beneath his breath, before hoisting the bewildered young girl and leaning her back on the nearest wall next to a dumpster.

After making sure she wouldn't roll on the ground again, he put both his feet on the wall and sprinted upwards toward the rooftops, clothes flaring behind him. He was up there in seconds; his head barely reached the surface, and his eyes peered over the edges carefully.

There weren't any shinobi near their vicinity, but they were jumping around everywhere and there were more and more of them popping from all over- like daisies. _I thought Konoha had just gotten out of a war. _He hissed in displeasure. What right such a weak village had to produce so many naïve and incapable shinobi was beyond him.

Weak or not, he could not bypass that many ninjas with a half-comatose _pink_ haired girl on his back; especially considering the fact Sasuke Uchiha was currently on an extremely classified mission, and there were bound to be ANBU lurking about that knew this. This would be easier if he was alone, or if she had chosen to pass out near their- _her, _apartment building. _But no, she had to do it 50 feet away from it. _He growled lowly, knowing time was of the essence. _How you aggravate me, little girl. _He mumbled in dismay as he looked down at her. Her ability to put him in problematic situations in the most unexpected ways was _commendable, _really.

If he was planning to get out of this free and still in one piece, she was going to have to get moving.

With a glance towards both ends of the little alley squished between the buildings, his fingers moved with speed, going through a dozen of seals before his chakra activated quietly. With a concentrated burst, an invisible shield spread out and covered the entire alley, making sure all of its occupants were invisible. For now. _This will have to do._

He ran back down to the ground, throwing away his henge for the time being. The moment a small end of the poncho touched his bare arm, he hissed in displeasure at the uncomfortable material and the sudden desire to itch. _The little brat was right. _He sneered, sighing as he landed and doing his best to not throw away the disgusting clothes and burn them to ashes. He was going to have to get out of this mess as Uchiha after all.

He squatted down in front of the groaning Sakura, who seemed to finally wake up from her delusional state and enter back into the painful land of the living. "Ow, my head…" She hissed, blinking her narrowed green orbs open. "Sasori…?" She mumbled, squinting at him, completely unaware how casually she called his name out. Well, at least she was _looking _in his direction now. "What-"

"Can you see me?" He quickly cut her off, holding her by the shoulders and being way too close for comfort. Sakura still found him scary with such a grim look, so she ignored the distance and nodded quickly, hissing from the gesture at the pain in her forehead. Her seal felt like it was on _fire. _

Sasori was still unrelenting though. "How many finger am I holding up?" He barked out.

"What…?" She rolled her eyes at the demand and winced at his glare. "Uh, four." She mumbled.

He let out a quiet sigh and backed off a bit, giving her the space and time to remember she was actually a medic-nin. She activated her chakra and put the cool fingertips on her forehead, sighing at the immediate healing effect. They sat/crouched like that for a couple of moments, before Sasori's patience ran thin and he decided she was healed enough to be interrogated.

"What happened?"

Sakura gave him a dull stare. "I was hoping you could tell me that, seeing my brain feels like it had just gone through a blender a couple of minutes ago."

Sasori's hands clenched and he looked just about ready to pounce at her with a kunai, but he held himself back and 'tsked' loudly instead. She raised an amused eyebrow, but made the effort to swallow the giant lump in her throat. He looked as disheveled as when she faced him in battle the last time, and that only happened when he was feeling extremely cruel or impatient. _Something was happening. _A stray thought supplied quickly. _Probably bad. _She concluded.

"You almost passed out in the middle of the street like you were made of glass." He informed her, now Sakura's turn to send him a glare. "I managed to drag your ass back here, but there's ninjas running around all over and I'm positive you wouldn't want to run into your little friends, now would you?" At her wide-eyed look of horror, he smirked. "Now _talk._" He ordered.

She shot him a withering look, before focusing and trying to remember the last thing she could. "We were walking, I guess…" She spoke out-loud, wondering for a second where the rare, almost _fun _Sasori had run off to, to be replaced with the usual brute. "And then…."

Ah, that's right- and then she almost _fell _over her feet from the pain that erupted in her stomach. It punched her so fast, her body felt like it should just pass out from the pain immediately, not even giving her time to react. Also those strange letters she saw… Sakura took a moment to try and explain herself.

"And then, this pain exploded in my stomach." She shook her head, trying to find the right words to express the experience. "It felt like _snakes _curled out of my stomach and wrapped around my organs like iron chains, squeezing my breath away."

Sasori raised an eyebrow. "A very _artistic _description." She snorted at his comment. "Is that it?"

She nodded. "Yeah; then I just passed out…" Her voice wandered away. "Oh!" She exclaimed, remembering something. "I saw you before I passed out."

He gave her an inquisitive glance, before patting her head gently. "Yes- you are indeed _still_ capable of seeing the world." He stated dryly. "Congratulations." She blushed red at his remark and slapped his hand away.

"I didn't mean that, idiot." She mumbled, her eyes downcast as she tried to cool her face down. "I saw _you _as _you_; I mean, you didn't look like Sasuke as you should have… right?" She wasn't sure why she was even asking for conformation on that. "Did your henge drop?"

"Doubtful." He answered, though there was a frown on his face that stated something else. "Someone on the streets would have already pointed it out." Sakura gave him a hard look, before dropping it. He was right- maybe no civilian would notice the difference, but there were enough shinobi already nearby that would have eagerly thrown their most destructive jutsu Sasori's way should his sudden appearance as Sasuke drop. Anyone even _posing _as Sasuke was enough to be considered dangerous.

"Well." Sasori concluded solemnly, standing up to his full height. "If that's it, then you must have just passed out from chakra exha-"

"Right!" Sakura interrupted him, her head snapping upwards as a light bulb activated in her brain. She turned to the rather bored/irritated-looking ex-akatsuki ninja. "I don't know if it means something, but there were these…patterns of gold glowing seals all over your body." She put a hand on her chin, staring at the dirty ground in front of her. "I swear, they looked so familiar." Her voice drifted away.

Sakura didn't hear any type of grunt or reaction from the red-haired, so she turned towards him, her eyes widening at the sight of an extremely shocked Sasori. He was so still, it almost looked like he was a puppet again.

"Umm… are you okay?" She inquired slowly, lightly touching his pants. He made no move to hiss/glare or stop her action. It was freaking her out. "_Sa-_" She was effectively silenced as Sasori turned his wide-crazy-eyed gaze down at her. He looked as if he had just seen death, and it was scaring her _a lot _more than it should have. Just when she was about to scream at him on what-the-hell-was-going-on, he uttered 2 words that crashed down at her like a house of cards.

"The _scroll_."

…

_.._

_._

_Crap. _

Well; now they _both_ looked like they've stared death in the eye.

They paled to a terrifying degree- both of them _knew _what scroll he was talking about. There was no other that could send a chill down their backs, because it was one that could very easily destroy them with just one wrong step. Sakura tried to calm down and breathe, but it was becoming rather difficult as all the worst case scenarios buzzed through her head. Sasori, on the other hand, managed to revert his horrified look into a cool and collected one.

"This… This is bad." She managed to croak out.

"For once, I couldn't agree more." He muttered back to her. "This isn't good." He clenched his hands into fists, his earlier suspicions now confirmed. "I knew I should have brought it with me." He mumbled to himself, his words causing Sakura to recoil.

"Yeah, you go ahead and beat yourself up about it, but you're not the one that keeled over back there." She hissed, cradling her shivering arms. Not like there would _be _any difference if he brought it with him. "My God, I could've _died_!"

This immediately got a reaction from the puppet master. "Please, stop making a fool out of yourself." He rolled his eyes at her unnecessary exaggerations. "You're still very much alive; _unfortunate _as that may be_._"

"Yeah, _now._" She looked like she wanted to punch him into the next universe; as if this was all magically his fault. "Who knows what'll happen to me in the next hour. Or _minutes._" _This is all your fault! _She screamed internally, breaking an imaginary puppet-like Sasori into millions of smithereens. Though, the real Sasori wasn't aware she was pounding his broken head into the ground, so he continued undeterred.

"Why do you assume you're going to die?"

"Oh, I dunno- because I almost _did_?" She got up to her own height, wishing her eyes had the power of the sharingan to willingly set someone on fire. He gave her challenging look his own and she looked away, not being able to hold her own. He was terrifying right now- almost as pissed as she was. _Yet, I still fear him _more. She clenched her fingers in a death grip.

She turned away from the imposing puppeteer. "I broke one of the wows…" She explained. "Damn, I should have been more careful!" She wished she had the guts to put _herself _on fire.

As much as her display of blaming him/herself provided an amusing spectacle for him, Sasori had no time on letting her mull things over. They had to check up on the scroll, and _fast. We've been away for too long… _An irritated thought reminded him.

"Look little girl, I know you just _yearn _to die already" His sarcasm was like an alarm-bell for her ears, effectively catching her attention. "But I'm afraid to tell you that won't be happening any time soon."

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh, and you would know because…?"

"_Because_" He stretched out the word as slowly as possible, enjoying the way her eyes twitched angrily at his deliberate stalling. "You didn't _break _any of your wows."

She wished she could ignore her rational brain to land a good kick on him sometimes. _Slaps just don't cover it anymore. _She thought. "And how are you so sure?" She stated, looking back at the encounter in her mind. "I was just about to ask you something… _personal, _before-"

"Because if you _did, _you'd already _be _dead." He shook his head. "Dear Kami, is your memory span shorter than a goldfish?" He interrupted her tirade with his own. "If you're supposedly one of the _brighter _medic-nin this village has to offer, than it's safe to say the future's screwed." He rubbed his face tiredly, giving her his famous you're-an-idiot gaze. Sakura just gave him a _look._

"One of your _wows_, was to never extract information from me _by force_" He reminded her, letting his words sink into her brain. "And though you might find yourself as a _force _to be reckoned with, your question was neither imposing or threatening, little girl."

Sakura glared some more, before allowing her brain to put two and two together. She sputtered from the shocking fact he was _right_, simultaneously trying to gain her footing in this conversation-turned-argument (since, whenever they talked it turned into an argument) and keep her head held high. It was embarrassing to forget _his _wows- a lot worse when she forgot her own. "W-well maybe-" He raised his eyebrows and effectively clamped her up, knowing any further protest would only burrow her further into her humiliation.

She let out a huff and bit her lip distractedly, looking away from her smug-looking roommate. "And to think I thought _you _were fun…" She whispered; not entirely aware the impact and meaning her words held. Sasori blinked at her, stumped and curious. _Interesting… _

The moment was broken as Sakura spoke again. "Okay, so if I didn't and _you _didn't do anything... Then what the fuck happened to me back there?"

Sasori said nothing, but put his hands up and dispelled his jutsu, his henge of Sasuke back in place. Swirling crimson and moon-like eyes met fire-like emerald. "That's what we're going to find out."

**XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX**

Sakura poked her head out from the alley, looking around the buzzing streets. Luckily enough, there were still civilians clambering about doing some late-hour shopping, now accompanied by the ninja that decided the busy streets were better to navigate with than the rooftops. Although morning was far behind them and it was officially afternoon, Sakura couldn't spot any familiar faces- and she thanked God for her luck.

"Okay- the coast is clear." She whispered behind her, dragging an arm out in daylight. "Let's go."

But her partner didn't seem too keen on the idea. "_No_." A resolute and definitely negative hiss reached her ears.

Sakura sighed, but smiled nonetheless, her determination high. "C'mon- we don't have the time for this." She pulled the body forcefully out of the alley and into daylight, sending a smirk behind her, before she dragged them into the crowded streets. "Let's go!" She chirped happily, and let a grin spread on her face at the irritated sigh resounding behind her. Her mood had definitely made a 360 now, as she skipped in her step.

After a while, Sasori decided he had enough of being dragged around and walked up beside her. He felt uncomfortable, and he would trade to wear that itchy poncho all day than do _this_. "I look ridiculous." He mumbled with a disgusted scrunched up face.

Sakura laughed. "Of course not!" She eyed him beside her carefully, biting the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing like a maniac. "You look perfect." She grinned, though Sasori didn't share her enthusiasm.

"You did this on purpose didn't you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Sakura looked towards one of the stalls, and beamed as she waved back to one of the old ladies. "Ah, it's Mizuki-chan!" She elbowed him in the stomach painfully, smiling brightly. "Go wave back, _mum._" She smirked his way, and it took all for Sasori to not tackle her to the ground and choke her to death.

A very nervous and awkward looking blond-headed Mebuki Haruno smiled and waved back to the enthusiastic old grandma. After a few seconds, Sakura decided that was enough torture for him and she pulled him along their merry way. They walked onward, with Sasori grumbling in her ear all the way. _If I just changed his voice, he'd look _exactly _like mum. _She thought with a lopsided smile.

"I don't understand why I couldn't have just stayed as Sasuke." Sasori mumbled quietly as he did his best to not start stomping his lovely _daughter _to the ground by now. "Or turn into _anyone else._" He added, felling a vein pop on his forehead. "But _noooo- _I had you force me to henge into your mother, like this morning hadn't been a strange experience enough."

"Oh, stop whining." Sakura scowled back at him- he was really turning into an old grouch. "If anyone from the rookie nine saw me with you as Sasuke, it would _definitely _be strange. This is fail-proof, and we're almost home anyway." Which wasn't a lie- no matter how much she wanted to take this to her advantage and exact a perfect revenge on Sasori, they're building was already in sight a bit farther away and they had more important matters to deal with. _What a shame. _She thought with a smile. She rarely had the time to pay him back for all his scathes, taunts and verbal insults.

Sasori disagreed with her- the apartment building looked _too_ far away for him now. "I still don't understand why I couldn't have gone as the Uchiha." He grumbled. "Aren't you friends or something?"

He saw the way her face stilled and her eyes lost their teasing energy from before, almost as much as he knew how _fake_ that sudden bright smile was. "Let's say… Sasuke and I aren't on the best of terms." She said, and ended it at that.

"…Fine." Not like he was _interested_ in any dramatizing and complicated relationship she held with the Uchiha brat. "What if we bump into your _real _parents, hmm?" He was really getting desperate over here, I mean _c'mon- _he was in a freaking _dress! _

"Yesterday was barbecue night." Sakura answered with amusement. "So, they won't be up till 3, tops. Now, chin up! We're almost there- just another street to pass, right?"

Sasori paled at the thought. _Another street. _

Eventually, they did manage to reach the building without incident, the master-puppeteer in a dress _slouching_ from relief as they entered and climbed their way up the stairs. In the relative safety of the building, he grumbled about the _predicament _and _torture _she had landed him in, all the way maintaining the image of Sakura's mother. She swore, if it weren't for the fact that her mother and she didn't have such conversations, she'd declare him her mother's long, lost twin.

Eventually, they reached their door and Sasori showed enough mercy to shut up for the moment and let her find her keys. It took a few minutes for her to find the elusive bastards (somehow, they always ended up in a place she _didn't_ put them in), but with a cry of 'aha!' and a familiar jingle, she grabbed them and quickly opened the door. It screeched open, and Sakura clambered inside, just about to remove her shoes and put them on the-

_Oh no. _She stilled on removing her sandals, staring at the floor in front of her with muted horror. She felt her heart skip a beat, and her blood pound in her ears as her mouth dried up from a rain-forest to a dessert in _seconds._ Her eyes skimmed over the small cupboard in front of the entrance to the house and- _Oh my God. _She stared at the empty food cup like it had just grown teeth and wings.

"Hey." Sasori grumbled behind her, her mother's henge gone from view. "You're blocking the-"

With the energy (and courage) she didn't know she possessed, Sakura pushed him back outside with a giant shove, no explanation whatsoever. Sasori looked at her in both shock and anger, perplexed by her sudden actions. "What the-"

"Stay there." She cut him off quickly, her eyes narrowed in anger. But _not _at him. "And _hide._"

Sasori looked puzzled. "Wha-"

"Someone's here." Was the last thing she bothered to tell him, before slamming the door in his face. When no shouts of outrage or banging was heard, she allowed herself to breathe again, hoping her deadly roommate would take her advice without question.

After making sure she was fine, and whipping away any hints of shock or doubt from her face, did she proceed to continue taking off her shoes like nothing happened. Biting her lip in worry, she placed them next to the bigger, _new _but _familiar _black ninja sandals. She threw her keys carelessly on the cupboard, trying to ignore the fact they didn't land heavily as usual, a jacket pillowing their fall.

She walked into the hallway, and turned to the right, already knowing _who _was waiting for her on the other side but dreading the encounter all the same. It was like that time when you had to fight an extremely dangerous opponent; not because you wanted to, but because the mission required you to do so. This wasn't the _same, _but for Sakura, it was close.

The moment she let herself come into view and let her nose smell the fresh scent of soup, were her suspicions corrected. Her kitchen was probably ransacked- or was in the process of becoming so, as the tumble of feet came to greet her from it. He slid out and into the living room part of the area, a hot bowl securely placed in his eager hands, his face as bright as ever.

"Hi, Sakura-chan!"

Really- like this day couldn't have gotten any worse without Naruto coming into the picture.

**A/N: Aaaand, that's it. Woah- I'm tired. 12 pages man- I thought it'd be a nice treat for everyone that was waiting so patiently for another crappy chapter DX I'm not sure if you'll like how I just rolled with it, but whatever. Let your reviews speak your thoughts.**

**Anyhow- yeah, I ended it on another cliffhanger XD Naruto coming at the end to just fix (fuck up) things some more was my personal stroke of genius, thank you. I prefer messing with Sakura and Sasori as much as possible. **

**What **_**actually **_**happened with Sakura back there**** is something you're about to find out in the next chapter, that will come later- but very quickly too! **

**And yes- yes I have put Sasori through so many henges by now, it's a bit hilarious bordering on extreme (but he has to do it, ya know!)**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Control spirals

**A/N: I hate how long it takes me to update- and I think I'm not the only one out there. **

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Naruto had reached great heights after the war.

After saving the world, ending a fatal battle, mending bridges between enemies and friends alike; he was truly a hero worthy of the future tittle of Hokage. Or savior of the world, the better sage of the six paths- whatever kind of tittle sounded better.

But Naruto had become a true hero in Sakura's eyes because of other acts- he was the only member of her team that _never _looked down upon her. He had saved her many times, given her unknown strength to move on when things were tough and seemingly impossible. He had cared for _her, _in ways that _he _could never _do. _He had fulfilled his promise to her, and brought Sasuke _back_ to her.

Naruto had evolved from a friend to a powerful warrior in everyone's eyes, a height and beauty that seemed impossible to ever reach or even gaze upon.

Which was why it had become so very difficult for Sakura to be anywhere _near _him.

She could feel her stomach squirming as she stared at that happy face and goofy grin, completely relaxed and friendly. It was the most cheerful greeting she had received from a familiar face in a while; which wasn't saying much, considering the only familiar face she had seen for a while was a deadly red-head which was ultimately her roommate as well.

She felt her chakra spike deep within her chest, but she settled the urge down immediately, taking a deep breath and calming herself. Naruto was as calm as the river, while she felt a storm brew beneath her skin whenever she saw him. She _hated _the feeling, so she became distant and cold, her attitude changing into that of a silently sneering Hyuuga. It made the guilt creep up whenever she was like that towards Naruto, but it was still better than her emotions boiling beneath her skin.

Naruto had that effect on her- just like the entire team 7 had some deadly effect on her in a way.

"Sak-!"

"What are you doing here?" She didn't mean to blurt out the words so quickly, but they broke from her lips like a dam. She was more nervous than she was composed- _If Naruto's here, than trouble's just around the corner. _It was a silly thought, but somewhere through the haze she remembered why she and Sasori had rushed to her apartment so quickly in the first place.

_Why did I give him a spare key? _She moaned in her head, albeit there wasn't much that a wooden obstacle could do to stop the powerful war hero anyway.

Naruto frowned, his expression changing instantly to that of a pouting puppy. "Is that the first thing you say to me after, what, a _year_?" He pointed out, disappointed by her reaction to seeing him after such a long while. And he had made ramen for her too!

Sakura levelled a glare at him. "Only a month passed since your last check-up, Naruto." And that was also the amount of time since her 'vacation' started- she was going to have to check up with the hospital soon and do some shifts. The money from her last paycheck wouldn't hold out much longer.

"Yeah, but a lot more since the last time we had ramen together!" The blond wasn't just going to let the statement stand like it did- he just _had_ to prove her wrong. "Sakura-chan, you're becoming a hermit."

Though she didn't show it, that statement stung. It sounded like Sakura deliberately shunned her friends and teammates alike, because they didn't prove to be socially fun or challenging for her. Like she _preferred _to be alone in the company of a murderer, instead. Like her decision to burry herself away from the flourishing society was done with no reason whatsoever.

While another part of her crumbled inside, Sakura's face truly changed into that of a silently furious Hyuuga. The guilt in her eyes died away, replaced with empty coldness. "Naruto, is there a reason why you messed up my kitchen and devoured all the ramen I had other than the need to visit?" She couldn't see it clearly, but judging by _her_ apron stained with food that he was wearing it was likely the case. The smell of cooked soup was seeping into the walls too.

The blond blinked at her words, cocking his head to the side before beaming at her with another smile. "Ah! Don't worry Sakura-chan, I saved you some too!" He pushed the steaming bowl in his hands toward her happily. "Ano, this one has menma in it since I ate all the naruto seasoning… But I bet it still tastes great, dattebayo!"

"I don't care." Sakura gritted out the words, before sighing deeply. There was no use at being angry towards Naruto; he was a ray of sunshine, taking out the context he preferred to hear from her words no matter how direct she was. He was just _that _kind-hearted. And stupid.

Her shoulders seemed to become much heavier- this was a tough morning for her, and right now all she wanted was a bed, some peace and Sasori to replace the eccentric blond in front of her.

Wait… _What did I just...? _

This morning was really messing with her head.

"Eeeh- but I made it especially for you…" He wore such a depressing face after her decline that she wondered at times if Naruto still _held _some type of puppy love for her. _Of course_, she knew he didn't. Because, he just _didn't. _Any long-lost childish crushes people had and cherished were buried by the war. Hers included.

"Oh well." He gave a shrug before planting his ass firmly onto her couch, chopsticks separating loudly as he grinned into the bowl. "I'll finish it for you- Itadakimasu!" And Naruto then proceeded to devour '**her**' meal as fast as a starving lion.

Sakura knew she wouldn't be able to coax the blond to move _anywhere _until he finished his food- she winced at his lacking table manners and hoped he wouldn't stain her sofa. Soup was particularly hard to wash out, _especially _ramen, and she wasn't in the mood to either take it to the cleaners or burn it and buy a new one. Her current money was stretched for both actions, and besides, her deadly roommate would probably pout and threaten for someone ruining his _bed. Although, making him sleep on the floor sounds nice. _If it did end in that direction, then it was most likely he would haul her bed and _she'd _end up on the floor. She made a face at that.

Sakura stared at Naruto and wished she could go back to the time when throwing punches solved all her problems. Well, mostly it solved Naruto_. _

Her relationship with her blond teammate had made a drastic turn, just like it had with everyone else she knew in the rookie nine. Maybe that was surprising, maybe it wasn't- all she knew was things had changed for better or worse, and they would never change back. Sakura accepted that; embraced it even, after spending some time with hell on earth (read: Sasori). But there always people that _couldn't_ accept that and _wanted _change no matter what.

Naruto was like that; and now she realized why Obito and all the other enemies they've faced were so clearly annoyed by the powerful blond at a time.

He was _frustrating. _

A sudden, different thought drifted through her mind as Naruto finished his meal with a content sigh. It made her blood freeze. "Naruto." She called out with a squirm, catching his attention.

"Yeah?"

"How long have you been here?" It was crazy how big his appetite was, but even Naruto needed time to eat _and _cook his instant meals; also, there was the fact that he might have been doing something else entirely between those events.

Under normal circumstances, Naruto wouldn't deliberately go through her private things; but then again, under normal circumstances he wouldn't wait at her apartment for more than 15 minutes before leaving to search her out too.

Sakura didn't know where Sasori stored and hid his things, but if Naruto had decided to snoop around he might have found a scroll with a specific weapon or two. _Or worse_. Her heart felt like a hummingbird trapped in her chest as the blond put a finger on his chin to think about it.

"Hmmm… I'm not so sure…. Somewhere around 9?" He answered finally, his nose scrunched up in thought.

Just 10 minutes after she left to the market with Sasori- and even that was unsure, judging by his expression. Sakura gulped mentally; the chance of Naruto glimpsing her leaving with _Sasuke_ or the master puppeteer himself was awfully big and the chance he encountered them was even a bigger reality. They would be both in the interrogation building by now, or an ANBU warehouse tortured to near-death by the masked agents or hell, her teammates themselves.

But they _weren't. _Which meant Naruto _didn't. _

Hopefully.

Still, her paranoia scared her enough that she was just about ready to get the blonde's shoes, throw them in his face and make it clear that he overstayed his welcome.

But she _couldn't. _

"Hey, is that about right, Sensei?" Naruto called out, steering his head to the hallway on the right. From it, emerged the tips of white robes and sandals, and Sakura had the urge to gag. _It's only been 5 hours since I woke up, the fuck's wrong with this day._

"Actually, it was 8:59 when we arrived but you were still pretty close" The man made himself known to the duo, though the white robes and uniform didn't leave much to gaze at. He smiled Sakura's way, even dropping his absurdly perverted book back in the sleeve of his robes, only a mask obscuring his face nowadays. "Naruto."

This was the man that was known for years for his copycat abilities, which he attained by the most famous eyes in history that were able to pull _God_ from their very depths, apparently. The red-pinwheel of absurd amount of power was long gone, his original droopy eye taking its place instead. This didn't make the sixth Hokage, Hatake Kakashi, any less powerful though.

Shortly, this was all Sakura's nightmare.

The next few seconds were silent as she tried to silently collect her bearings- this was definitely too many surprises in a package. Sakura tried to calm herself, before eventually scolding her stupid brain for being too caught up with Naruto and not checking for _other_ intruders. Then she might have avoided this situation- _maybe. _Perhaps if she decided to mope all day at home.

As Kakashi stared her with his lazy gaze, her gut squirmed uncomfortably and her stomach instantly felt like the snakes from before had returned. This was bad.

And she'd soon find out why.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

He stared through the window from above, looking at the upside down picture of the little girl encountering a person she didn't really want to see at the moment. Which was surprising, seeing the blond was her teammate and the ever famous war hero everyone knew and loved.

Well, perhaps former teammate suited the bill better. According to her file, she hadn't gone on a team mission since the end of the war- 10 months ago. Not with her team or any other kind of group- she had done a few solitary missions and stuck to her hospital shifts. The difference between her action before and after the war was large in comparison.

He retreated from his awkward perch and leaned back on the little ledge above their apartment- he always wandered where her fighting spirit had left. He hadn't paid any attention at the beginning (not like he really cared either way), but the difference between her attitude in the past and now was enormous too. It was like this could never be the same girl he had fought way back in the cave. Her confidence had plummeted, while her nasty and bipolar emotions had raised up a few bars.

As he made sure to stick to the shadow of the building and erase his chakra as the many ninjas passed by on rooftops to God knows where, he wondered what was the cause to her downfall? Sasori didn't care for the girl, he _didn't, _but it was making him curious.

Every other ninja from her generation had a large improvement of their abilities and performance after the war- her teammates specifically were monsters in power alone. She was perhaps the only one who's carrier had plummeted downwards instead of upwards, which was reasonable but unreasonable at the same time.

Why would she be the only one? What was her reason- if she had lost someone special, or a comrade or maybe witnessed too many unspoken things… Then it made _sense. _But her friends were alive, her parents were healthy and kicking and her team was whole and mostly undamaged. Hell, even the Uchiha had returned from his self-imposed exile.

It was aggravating him, to be honest. She was an open book to him- her reactions, emotions and thoughts- he could read through her back and forth. This setback, which had no reason to happen at all, was unsettling. It didn't sit with him well; she was the little girl that had _killed _him, sent him to hell or whatever- and now she was a wilting plant, refusing to grow and improve.

And he had no idea _why. _

No, he decided, as he took another peak at the window and saw the hokage emerge from the shadows at last. Her reaction was caught between muted horror and shock as she stared at her two ex-team members as if they were the demons that crawled out from her deepest fears. Sasori himself wasn't surprised. Perhaps her outburst back at the door had set a few screws loose, but he kept it together and stuck to the walls of the building as he let her handle the blond.

He gently opened the window just a tiny bit with a piece of wire, to overhear the conversation which would definitely tell him why the_ head_ of the village_, _of all people, was snooping around her house so carefully.

No; he had no intention to let her wilt any further.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Sakura had doubts about the world- just like any other ordinary person. And her doubts had led her to one conclusion; the world was out to get her today.

No one spoke. The stifling silence clamped down onto them like rain. It might have looked like all of them had gone mute- but that wasn't the case, and she should know, seeing as she was in touch with their medical charts.

As they stood there, each at their own distance, forming an incomplete triangle, Sakura thought about it. This used to be _her_ team- they were a member short currently, but that was fine. _He _had always been missing, and though their shared goal had ultimately led to him; the painful truth was that Team 7 had never been a complete team.

Team 7 was all but complete- in fact, she'd say their very own lacking was what made them a team. It was ironic, as it was true- 4 members were needed to form a team, yet Team 7 worked at its best with only three.

And there were facts to back up her theory- back in the genin days, when all of them had been young and inexperienced of the world (well, _she _had been) there had been one member that constantly lagged behind. She believed it to be Naruto, but she was blind to the excruciating fact it had been _her. _Her teammates and Sensei excelled- she had been left in the dark.

And when _he _left, the dynamic shifted- then _she _had finally become part of the team. And upon the arrival of Sai and Yamato, the dynamic constantly shifted between the newcomers that filled up the gaps.

And now, after the war, heck _during _the war; it had been her again. Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi- they all excelled at a speed she couldn't catch up to. The only difference between then and now was that she had become _aware _of it.

So, she decided to stop catching up.

"Sakura" Kakashi's eerily calm voice broke her away from her thoughts. "It's been a while. A month, right?" His fake cheer didn't give Sakura any type of false security. In fact, it pinched at her fury.

"35 days." She corrected evenly; thirty-five days since she last stepped up to anywhere near the Hokage office or tower. "But who's counting? Hokage-sama." She added, not necessarily out of respect but to mark the distance. She could use a bit of distance now.

Kakashi seemed to catch up to her tone, because his eyes lost some of their fake shine and she was positive he was frowning behind that barricade on his face. The formal robes added up to the disappointing look. He heaved a heavy sigh. There was no beating around the bush with him. "I believe, you have some questions to ask."

"No questions." She smiled a bit, the edges of her cheeks feeling crooked. "Just a simple inquiry as to why you had been in my apartment the entire morning- ah, if I may know that, Hokage-sama."

If it were possible, Kakashi's frown sank even deeper, but Naruto quickly stopped whatever excuse or scolding to leave his lips. "We're worried about you, Sakura-chan!" The blond tumbled out, totally honest and earnest in his actions. He found his feet and Sakura tried not to notice the way his head almost reached Kakashi's- _they've outgrown me in every possible way. _She took an unconscious step back.

"We haven't seen you _in _months- you're never out except when you're in the hospital and you don't hang out or-or go on missions with us anymore; and we're all so worried about you, Sakura-chan!" His words were an explosion of honesty and kindness, scattering at you from every angle like mad bullets. Suffocating and forceful- like you're covered in warm and burning cotton.

Sakura wasn't the girl she used to be, though. She could skirt her way out of Naruto's clutches, at least. "I understand, Naruto." She shut him up, focusing on the air she was breathing in. Deep, slow breaths. "But that still doesn't answer my question." Her eyes were raw with emotion in their depths; that wasn't something she could hide, but her face was a mask of indifference. "Why are you here?"

As usual, Naruto didn't get it. "Sakura-chan!" He bellowed with disbelief, put off by the fact she would just ignore him like that. "We-"

A firm arm on his shoulder clamped him up. "No…" The Hokage was lost in his own world, before slapping on a smile for his student and future successor. "That's quite alright, Naruto." He directed his gaze to Sakura, his eyes almost wistful. "She has a right to know."

"I do apologize for barging in like this, Sakura." He nodded her way, his arm slipping back at his side. "But, Naruto is quite right- we are only worried about you and we only wanted to check up."

It was the sorry technique- an honest admission of getting caught in the act, seeking forgiveness afterwards for it. If the situation was different, it might have worked. "Next time knock, and if there's nobody home, _leave_." She stopped, swallowing the words in her mouth and chewing to see if they were good enough. So many things to ask, so little courage to do so. "Did you wait for me all this time?" _Why? Why did you waste three hours waiting on me? Why didn't you look instead? And why were you hiding until Naruto called you out, Sensei?_

The blonde was blissfully unaware of her doubts, but Kakashi heard them in her voice. He was as insightful as ever, his position never lowering his skill of detection. "We weren't sure where you were- so there was no point in looking. You'd come back sooner or later." The Hokage answered her easily, but it was a smoothed out lie. She knew that just as much as he did.

But she didn't call it out.

"Well, not like it matters anyway." The village head mumbled out, scratching the top of his bright red hat. The air in the room shifted; from fragile safety to serious business. He turned towards the young future candidate for his position. "Would you go back to the Tower, Naruto?" He cut him off before the whiskered hero could even protest. "Check up and see if Sasuke's back from his mission." Sakura's jaw clenched at the name, but she focused on the problem at hand. _This isn't over. _Her mind warned gravely as her eyes narrowed at the Hokage.

Naruto scratched his cheek in confusion. "But Teme-" A look from Kakashi clamped his mouth shut. He shrugged and scrunched up his face in a pout. "Fine" He passed them by, patting Sakura on the shoulder and yelling an apology for the mess he made on his way out. He was still shouting goodbyes and reminding Kakashi to come soon when he was out on the street. They kept silent for another few minutes, just in case. Sakura tried to ignore the way her shoulder tingled awkwardly where Naruto had patted her, as if she were a stray dog.

_Stop thinking like that._

It was Kakashi's demeanour that changed first. His eyes became distant and professional- that gut feeling came back full-force. "You've been hiding things Sakura." He mumured casually.

_Uh oh. _Her heart launched into her throat and her fingers shook for a moment: was Sasori found out? Roped and ready to be executed?

_Then I wouldn't be here if he was; Calm down. _She ordered herself. This only proved Kakashi had been going through her things; but it didn't matter. She spoke with caution. "Such as...?" Weapons or clothes- there were chances to make excuses.

He lifted something heavy from the depths of his white sleeves. Something that made her eyes go wide and her breathing hitch. He was holding a heavy scroll in his hands- large and layered. The wow.

"Care to explain?" Kakashi inquired as he observed her reaction- he had seen her shock, but there was no reason for Sakura to pull any theatrics. Her stunned mind was holding back any sense of denial.

"Where did you get that?" She didn't wait for an answer. "You went through my stuff, didn't you?"

"Yes." Without missing a beat.

"Without my permission." She hissed out. The Hokage just shrugged his shoulders for an answer. "So much for privacy." Sakura grumbled under her breath.

"This is a very heavy scroll." Kakashi patted on it. "And heavily protected" He spread his arms wide, opening the scroll as much as he could. "What do you see?"

_Evidence, wows and golden seals. _Was what she was thinking as she stared at a tiny bit of the giant circle of seals that surrounded a small area with _her_ name on it. _Well, at least I know they tampered with it. _Sakura acknowledged as she felt the sweat pick up at the base of her neck. This wasn't good- she was at a loss of an explanation and she didn't like the way Kakashi's eyes narrowed.

Silence was her answer.

It only made her interrogator more suspicious. He rolled the scroll up with a quick _whoosh. _"Explain." He ordered.

She licked her dry lips, and pushed back the headache coming onto her- this wasn't the time to become emotional. "There's not much I can tell." Which was partly true; she needed to know _exactly _what Kakashi knew. He was able to open the scroll after all, and she was sure that Sasori had bugged it with all kinds of traps and codes.

"Then say what you can." Kakashi countered back- Sakura wasn't swayed though. She smiled despite herself.

"What would you like to know?"

"Where did you get such an S class scroll?" He fingered with it absently. "And why is an S-class criminal's name on it beside yours?"

So he saw Sasori's name- he must have rubbed with the wow in the wrong way or used chakra to force it open. And whatever he wanted to see, didn't come out. She clutched her fingers. Big deal. _If I fainted back there because they tampered with it, I can't let him take it away. _

Lying was never a favorite sport for her.

"I got it." She clenched out finally. "As a gift."

Now that was a surprise. Kakashi's suspicion bored into her. "You received it, as a gift?" He sounded as truthful as she felt. "From Akasuna Sasori?" Sakura stiffened before nodding slowly. He sighed. "When?"

"Back, in the caves. Years ago, when I faced him" Her words felt like a knot in her throat. "With Chiyo-sama." She whispered faintly, recalling fondly of the old lady which she knew barely a day, but fought side by side with everything she possessed. "H-he gave it to me as a reward, for killing him." Why were the lies so easy to spit out?

The Hokage still didn't feel convinced. "What's in it?" He fingered the blank scroll on the outside, glaring at it as if it were the greatest enemy he faced so far. Perhaps it was- Sasori was a bastard that took no chances, after all. "I've never seen such seals." Now, there was a shock. At least it wasn't just Sakura, then. "It's not a summoning scroll either." He mumbled absently, but looked up at her in question, as if she was going to tell him everything he wanted to know like any other obedient ninja under his rule.

And Sakura would, she thought as her chakra spiked slightly in her stomach. She would, if the circumstances were different and if she hadn't been bound in silence by the wow, because he was the Hokage and she was one of his ninja. Because that's how it went, because he was her superior, her mentor and leader. Because she would do what he asked, as if he were Tsunade herself.

Even though he had never acknowledged her as a capable ninja. Not once.

"No it's not." She grit out. "It isn't a summoning scroll- in fact, it's worthless. A kunai scroll has more value than it." Her words were merging with her thoughts.

"Worthless?" He echoed. "Then why keep it?" _Why hide it? _

"Because" She felt the moisture of sweat gathering in her palm. "It helped me get stronger." _Lies, lies, lies. _Her brain corrected. _It just gave you death-rules, a permanent sword over your head and a bastard for a roommate. _

Kakashi stared at her for a while. Then back at the scroll. "Open it."

It wasn't a question. But her answer was honest. "I can't." She admitted. She didn't even know if the scroll contained her wows in normal letters or how it even functioned. Anything above what it _did _was beyond her.

"Can't or won't?" It was a real shame on how well Kakashi knew her that he didn't know how to separate her lies from the truth. Or was he biased enough to think she would never lie to him? Her anger was messing with her mind. She growled it out once again. "I'm incapable." Like she always was, right?

He didn't ask her anything for a while, he just kept staring at her or the scroll. How long was he going to waste time was anyone's guess, but Sakura wanted to end this fast. This conversation was going on long enough and there was a distinct red-haired assassin lurking about. She didn't doubt Sasori's skills, but there were skilled sensors in the village that might just pass by and sniff something that's supposed to be _dead_.

But Kakashi wouldn't be leaving on his own free will with such insufficient information. She groaned in her brain. The urge to just throw him out the window was turning to be more and more tempting.

"I think you should leave." A whisper in the quiet, mixed with an ounce of prayer. He _needed _to leave. Now.

He cocked his head to the side, the flap of his hat bending with it, before nodding in agreement. "Yeah." His tone turned cheerful and he held up the scroll. "I'll be leaving with this though."

"What? Why?" She didn't hide her glare. "It's an ordinary scroll, nothing special."

"Well, I'll go and drop this off to our specials just to make sure this is a nothing special, ordinary scroll, then." He smiled as he walked past her. "Just in case."

"That's private property." She added as she turned around, almost bumping into his chest. She backed off to gather some space. "Why are you doing this?" She was slowly giving in; unless she could either make him pass out or kill him, there was no way to get the wow back. And she couldn't do either. She _knew _that.

"Think of it as a safety precaution." Kakashi chirped in helpfully, ruffling the top of her head. She swatted his hand away angrily. His eyes lost some of their cheer at her actions. "Still mad, huh?" He murmured but Sakura skilfully pretended not to hear the last part.

"This isn't fair." She pointed out, on the verge of helplessness. This was horrible, unlucky and too much damage for one fucking morning. An additional hour had already passed since she came back. The situation was slipping out of control, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Like always.

"No it's not fair." Her former Sensei leaned in to her and gave her a good look in the eye. Disappointment. Nothing but sheer, utter disappointment. "But turning your backs on your friends because of some self-imposed exile isn't fair either, is it?"

He backed away and she counted the footsteps he took until the door slipped shut. She slipped to the ground when she was sure only the silence remained.

She didn't want to show how much those last words had hurt her- but they did. It felt like a great burden was placed in her lungs and within her ribs. It hurt how even now, though she wanted some alone time and perhaps to show her friends that _she was in pain, _she only made a point of hurting everyone else even more. Because she was selfish and incapable of seeing the bigger picture- of thinking about the welfare of everyone else, of only worrying about what _she_ felt_. _

She did nothing, but it was still _her_ fault_. _No- she _always _did nothing and it was always her fault. She could only see it now. Her eyes were wide open and scared.

_Everything I do is a mistake. _Her cheeks felt hot- oh. She was crying. _Like always. _She reminded herself, as the tears spilled over her quivering face. She was a selfish, insensitive bitch after all. Damn- even know, a bit of hate boiled for her friends instead of her being overwhelmed by sorrow towards them. Damn!

She didn't notice when her knees began to ache, or when a window slipped open and shut. She was only aware of the footsteps approaching her- so quiet and small. It felt wrong; they were supposed to be a silent force, demanding and fear-inspiring. They stopped, and he was standing next to her while she silently wept. Her mind was clouded, but she had to ask. It felt right, to do so.

"Hey" Sasori felt a small tug at his pants, and the action startled him so much he had to put back the small knife he drew out by reflex in his back pocket. She looked up at him, raw eyes and red nose, her tears leaking in silence. It was crying like any other he'd seen, but it unnerved him deeply. She took a few raspy breaths, before finally stilling the shaking and sobbing.

"Are you okay?" It was a shaky question that held a lot more meaning than it should have. Was he able to find a hiding spot, did they notice him, was his position compromised: did he had to kill anyone to keep their mouth shut?

Despite her struggle, Sasori could only raise an eyebrow at her silly inquiry. "I think I should be asking you that." He stated honestly, watching her body shake.

She was laughing. It was a cold laugh, the one bordering crazy as her cries spilled over her choking humour. Empty and cracked. She was spilling apart right in front of him- brought to the edge and promptly pushed into it, falling downwards more and more.

He could end it. Right now; he could end her suffering and pain. Not in the usual way, but he could coax her to end it all. It would be perfect- his hands would be stained by invisible blood, nobody would notice a thing and he would be able to retrieve the wow from the Hokage without a lagging consequence. He would be freed from the wow. The invisible chains around his neck could be ripped apart, death by mistake no longer hanging over his head.

It would be perfect.

"That's funny." A strangled choke of cheer caught his attention again. "That's real funny, Sasori." She smiled up at him, wiping away her tears as if they were from joy and not broken spirit.

"Hey, you know what else is funny?" She bit her lips as if she were stifling a great joke. "The fact, I won't kill myself. And you" She broke up in tears. "You can't even kill me right now!"

Sakura kept on laughing and choking up, ignoring the tissues that were thrown in her lap or how her feet curled up and a pressure leaned at her back as she was carried from the living room and onto her bed. The sheets were cool around her, but the blanket that somehow found a way under her chin was warm.

She ignored it all, but she felt the impact of the acts of kindness. She wanted to cry some more, but she suddenly found the action silly. She cried enough- she had failed enough.

It was all enough for today.

When the blinds were pulled and the room sank into darkness, her fingertips found the hem of his shirt and she held on with the last ounce of her strength. She found his face in the darkness and she made sure he saw all the misfortune and failure she held within them. Within herself. He _needed _to know.

"Why?"

Her spoken thought was answered, but a pressure at her neck immobilized her to ever hear it. She only felt her eyes close; and a gentle tug on her locks of hair.

"Sorry." Sasori mumbled into her hair- it had grown a bit since the last time he had touched it. Back when this all started. "But I'm going to have to make you suffer in pain some more."

Death wasn't an option, after all.

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**A/N: OMG guys! This story has gotten a plot, what the hell?! We're heading into some uncharted territory aren't we?**

**Okay, so this was a very long chapter and I kinda hate it because we stuck to the conversation too much; b****ut it was a necessary hurdle, and looking back I wanted to cut this up into two parts, but I think you guys deserve something more since I held out on you.**

**This chapter pretty much sums up my thoughts about the whole Team 7 dynamic- a team that works its best when it's dysfunctional. And any thoughts that Sakura haters always point out can be pretty much be found everywhere in this chapter (and the story so far if you squint). **

**But don't fear my fans- this is the beginning of an awesome emotional makeover. Both in a good and bad way.**

**CRITICS will be well received- I'm aiming at improvement, so don't hold back!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter**** 10: **Walking out of the pit of doom

**A/N: Yes.**

**Yes, I am alive.**

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That night, she dreamed.

Of gold snakes that wrapped around her body like chains, of warm golden soup that burned her tongue. Of high towers, and cold breaths that stung her skin.

It was one of her most painful dreams, but even so, there was a small hope in her soul. At least in this dream, she didn't see any black boys that danced with venom or scorpions. At least only her soul was hurting, and not her heart.

That was the only comforting thought she had, as the harsh wind threw her off the tower and sent her into an abyss of teeth. But even that thought was broken, as she met the long body of a white snake filled with pinwheel eyes.

In the end, all that was left for her broken being was a pair of ruby eyes, and fingertips that held string.

**XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX**

When Sakura woke up, she felt the same. The feelings from her dream hadn't faded away into her pillows, but merged with her reality. The dream itself slipped away from her mind, but the feelings remained.

And Sasori knew this, the moment her eyes opened. He didn't see her dreams, but he saw the events of last night. And that was more than enough.

_She broke. _It was an interesting thought that ran through his mind, as bleary and faded green orbs looked at him. Finally; someone had managed to completely erase that naïve, electric shine from her eyes. It was a feat Sasori had never accomplished, but even so her blaring hope had irked him to no end. Now, it was gone.

And as much as he wanted to congratulate the person responsible for it, there was a need ten times stronger to rip them apart.

_He _was the one that broke her body and lost; _he _was the **only **one who had any right to break her spirit and win.

Revenge.

The only reason he was going to help her. That was the only reason he was going to acknowledge.

_And so, it begins. _He sighed and rubbed his face- bringing someone back from the dead was easier than restoring someone's faith. Especially for him; he was raised to destroy the body and soul, not mend it. _You're more trouble than you're worth, little girl. _

Even so, Sasori had made his decision. He had made it last night, and strengthened it this morning. As much as he hated to admit it, Sakura was under his care as much as he was under hers. It wasn't a friendly statement, but a necessary truce.

The tables had turned, and went flying straight towards the gaping jaws of trouble. The future wasn't looking so bright right now- for either of them. And if they were going to work together, then he wasn't going to let her slouch around anymore.

For the better part of the hour, they spoke nothing and just stared at each other. Sometimes, Sakura would blankly look at the ceiling or Sasori would glare at the carpet, but in the end their eyes would stray right back onto one another. It had become a silent competition, on who would lose their composure first.

Sakura was just lucky Sasori wasn't a patient man.

"Do you plan to stay in here forever?" He spoke into the silence, admitting his defeat. She simply blinked, no sort of visible joy for her victory. Lifeless and useless.

Just like a doll.

Sasori closed his eyes. "I have no intention of dragging you out, just so you know."

"Then don't." She bit back with a whisper. Ah, finally an answer. "Leave me here, hide me away from the world and let me rot." She turned to the side and glared at him with her dim eyes. "Maybe then, I might even feel grateful."

Her words did not sting or annoy him. They couldn't do that to him now, because Sasori knew he was dealing with a wounded soldier ready to die, and not a strong and thriving general ready to conquer. "You can't hide away from the world, Sakura- you are already in it." He saw her face flinch at his words, and it made his lips tilt upwards.

He could see her chest rise, could see her expression darkening. But despite all this, Sakura deflated before she exploded and turned her back to him. She was angry with him- but she was more disgusted by herself to truly care about anything else.

Were the Hokage's words enough to break her will? It was the only question that floated through Sasori's brain, and it didn't make him feel guilty or roll towards her with bursts of sympathy. If nothing else, Sasori felt the raw emotion of huge disappointment and revulsion at how easily she succumbed to the words of a simple man- no matter if he was Hokage or not.

She was so fickle and vulnerable- most girls were, but it was their ability to understand hidden meanings behind simple words and sentences that led them to be more in tune with their emotions. But her emotions ruled her, and for her to simply allow that made him think how the hell she even became a kunoichi and how this village even functioned in the first place.

She was supposed to be a ninja.

She was acting like a child.

Sasori left her to her own darkness- it was more of a means to balance the fragile coexistence they've managed to create, and not make things worse than they already were. More than anything, now she needed someone to listen and explain some things that _every_ village but Konoha taught- and more than enough civilians experienced.

Sasori couldn't do that without pointing out all of the painful mistakes she made in the process.

And he guessed that enough people had already pointed out every mistake she made.

**XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX**

Sakura blinked her eyes open, and rolled towards her side, sighing as her legs left the comforting warmth her blanket provided. She shuffled until she was covered again, adjusting her body to look at her desk. It was empty today; and that sight made her wonder and worry just a bit to check, before the temptation faded and she turned on her back to succumb to sleep once again.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but considering the fact that at times when she woke she would find a plate of steaming food on her desk, she could estimate five days have gone by. Sasori was many things, but she guessed even his soul held some kindness as to not let her starve as her exile rolled by. And, to top it off, his cooking wasn't that bad. _Maybe he finally decided to read a cook-book… _She shook the amusing thought away and breathed into her pillow.

Five days. Five days since she encountered her old team, and five days since she went to sleep in her room and never left it since. She had once self-exiled herself from the company of all her "friends" in the village; this was just a step further in the process.

Sakura knew she was being foolish, and she wondered how Sasori put up with her for such an amazing amount of time. Perhaps she was an idiot and a weakling, but she could still hear the pants and the kicks in the middle of the night, as flesh clashed against wood and metal. Most of the time it was a silent training, other times she could hear the whispered grunts of frustration and sometimes… sometimes she felt like he _knew_ she was listening, because she heard words once.

"You are infuriating to deal with, little girl."

It wasn't a yell or a scream, but a hissed out mumble after which the wood creaking would stop and silence reigned. Maybe Sasori had passed out from exhaustion, fallen asleep or started meditating just to calm himself. She never found out, because she never bothered to check.

But Saskura agreed with him- she was infuriating. And weak, and close-minded and awful and cruel- and everything that her team and her friends pointed out. Once, she chose to rise above those whispered rumours and brush them aside, rather continuing her training with her master and Hokage, striving to achieve the uncaring attitude Tsunade-sama had. But those words were always remembered and carefully stored away, bottled up.

But the bottle was loose and never-ending, and Sakura was wrong for thinking she could handle it. She was wrong for thinking she was strong; wrong for thinking she could achieve _something. _She was only a broken useless doll, with just a strange coloring to be remembered by.

It had been five days.

**XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX**

Sakura slept though that day and awoke for the next, only to find no change. Her stomach growled in complaint, but she let it slide and shrugged, choosing to fall asleep then thinking about the sudden shift in attitude. Sasori probably did this as a means of punishment- perhaps he was planning on achieving a reaction of some sort, but Sakura wouldn't and couldn't budge.

The bathroom was her source of fresh water; she could handle another day of hunger.

That's what she told herself, but when another morning rolled by with no tray of food awaiting, she couldn't handle it anymore. Maybe it was the lack of food or maybe it was just the sudden snap of continuously lousy days, but Sakura shifted, got up, checked to make sure she had her clothes in place and walked out of her room in irritation.

When she met the view of the hallway, she felt a shock come to her eyes. It was exactly the same as she left it, but she hadn't passed it by for so long it stopped being a routine and looked brand new. She shook her head and slowed her pace, trying to set herself straight but she just couldn't stop letting her eyes soak up her surroundings. Being chained to one place really wasn't an ideal experience, but another part of her surprise laid in the fact the place wasn't dirty or covered in dust.

_At least, cleaning won't be an issue. _She mused, as she came to the living quarters. The same thing happened like with the hallway, except now she found a couple of sharp weapons and puppets laying against the wall. It wasn't the only thing of interest, as a mop of red hair was right there on the couch. She didn't even want to look at Sasori or his triumphant smirk, so she directed her view and feet towards the kitchen.

It was also in top condition, with only a few berries and bowls filled with some kind of liquid stashed away. There were senbons dipped in them, so Sakura presumed they were definitely _not _edible. Besides that, the counters were empty of any snacks or food.

She heard a deep chuckle; his voice sent a chill down her spine. One of the many things she hadn't missed. "Well, well, well- the princess finally chose to awaken from slumber." Amusing words, that were pointed and sharp. "How was your vacation?"

Sakura decided to not dignify him with any kind of answer; she was starving, and she didn't want to waste her energy in an argument. Her fingers gripped the fridge tightly, as she heard shifting in the living room. She opened the tiny thing, and stared in its depths.

It was probably the second time she had seen the very end of her fridge; the first time being when she bought it. It was shining and looked brand new just like that time; completely devoid and empty of anything inside.

It was empty. There was no food.

"It's…empty." She stated to herself- her voice a bit hoarse from not using it in such a long while. "Why is the fridge-"

"Empty?" A voice rumbled directly _behind _her, and Sakura jumped three feet in the air. She heard a chuckle, and she felt a bitter anger boiling in sync with her rumbling stomach as she chose to confront the person responsible for this… _impossibility. _

"Why would you-!" Her words held back in her throat, as she viewed the very _naked _chest of Sasori. Right in front of her face.

Sakura felt her cheeks heat up (despite the fact she didn't want them to), and she could practically feel him shooting that smug smirk down at her from above. She hated how affected she was by this, even though she was a medical kunoichi (although, he was nowhere near wounded right now, that could change soon enough). She could act like this position didn't bother her at all and throw him off, but it _did _and he was too close for comfort.

_Ugh damn him. _With that thought in mind, she held her hands up and pushed him off from her. He was cackling at her decision and expression; the maniac. _Well at least, he's wearing pants this time. _That thought successfully drove her back to the day he had said the fateful words which made her realize that she had been carried around by a closet-nudist, and besides wanting to fry her disturbing brain, Sakura felt the sudden need to strangle him. "What was even the _point_ of _that_?!"

He gave her a loop-sided smirk. "Oh? Why, are you feeling uncomfortable?"

"I feel _violated, _so if you'd go and put on a dress or something I might reconsider on destroying you right about now."

"Funny." He growled, before shooting her a cocky glance. "But I don't consider a lazy, starving girl a threat."

Sakura didn't know what to say to that; both statements weren't that far from the truth, but she felt insulted either way. Her means of handling herself were none of his business, so he could do her a favor and do as she asked for once.

Although- Sakura had yet to find out that Sasori had made her _his _business.

She gave up and looked at the floor in defeat. "Why are you doing this?" She mumbled to herself absently, somehow feeling hurt at his actions, though there was no reason to be. Both of them argued on a daily basis; this occasion wasn't any different.

Sasori noticed her defeat, but made nothing of it, already coming to terms that he couldn't solve it. That didn't mean her pitiful attitude _wasn't_ going to be solved, though. For now, they were back on common ground with each other and it was enough. "You can call it a rude assault; I call it a taste of revenge." And she deserved at least _some_ form of humiliation, after she just decided to leave the world in the hopes her problems would solve themselves. "Come on; I saved you some rice balls."

Sakura looked up and watched him turn towards the living room, putting on his shirt in the process. She wished she could get angry, storm off into her room and protest; but even if she wasn't starving, she guessed she would follow him either way.

It was a kind of sad fact, but for now, Sasori was the only company she could trust.

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**A/N: I wanted to add more, but I also presumed that would take longer, and all of you guys really deserve a new chapter. I hope I haven't ruined your expectations with this one, but a glimpse into both Sakura's and Sasori's mind was needed after… **_**that. **_**It started out glum, but it kinda ended on a fun note…?**

**I'm not sure- you can tell me in a review, or a critic or a whatever. Everyone's thoughts are accepted- except the ones of "You're horrible, kill yourself" without a decent explanation cause I'd laugh at those (maybe- or cry. I dunno but an Author's gotta look strong, right?)**

**Thank you for all the reviews that inspired me to write and I'm sorry for the wait! I hope some of you are still interested. **


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The truth Part 1

**A/N: I shouldn't be writing, I should be studying. **

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Sakura wanted to reject the rice-balls; they smelled weird and stale, and she didn't trust Sasori's cooking abilities. But in the end, her stomach made the decision for her as she devoured the things in two seconds flat. Not the best of meals, but food was food and she had been on the urge of eating her foot.

When she finished her meal, she did her best to polish the plate as much as she could and tamper with her chopsticks- she couldn't look back into the eyes that were staring at her every move right now.

Was it humiliation? About her past behaviour…. About that entire _thing_ a couple of days ago? About how she had shut herself away from the world, and left Sasori alone to deal with everything here while she tried to pretend to be something else than Haruno Sakura, weak kunoichi and selfish friend? I mean it wasn't like Sakura cared or anything; she had convinced herself the world didn't need her input about anything so why be ashamed of actually _being_ useless as everyone had always claimed her to be?

Still; Sasori wasn't the village, or part of her "friendship squads" or anything like that. Sure he wasn't her best friend or anything, but Sasori didn't believe her to be useless. Whether it was because admitting that she _was_ would also result in admitting he had been killed by such a useless person in the first place, or his actual belief that she wasn't; didn't really matter.

Because Sasori would have abandoned her by now, if he truly believed that. Because Sasori would never stay and… _help_ useless people.

Then again, he would never stay if the situation didn't benefit him somehow.

Still, Sakura felt something of an apology on the tip of her tongue and she swallowed hard as her finger tampered with her dry hair. It was growing again. "Listen…. About… Well, what happened a few days ago… When-"

"You mean, when that argument between you and your team happened, which resulted for you to exile yourself in a room like a hibernating bear?" Sasori smoothly interjected for her, no longer looking at her but at the scroll dangling in his arms. He didn't even bother to look at her reaction. Sakura's eyes narrowed at that proclamation of his.

"You make it sound so insignificant." She muttered angrily. _And so childish too._

"That's because it _is._" He bit back, meeting her glare with his own. Sakura felt her skin tingle with anger (and some form of hurt, but she would never admit that to him) and was just waiting for him to continue this soon-to-be fight, but Sasori surprised her. He didn't start throwing around his usual talk of how "weak and stupid she had to be to be affected so much by the people she cared about", but rather let his glare drop as his fingers rubbed his face in exasperation.

"Look" He began once more, his tone more even and controlled now. "This isn't about what happened or what _we_ think about everything that happened." He said, catching her gaze and not letting it drop. He was dead serious now and he needed her to be too. "It's about the fact that right now, you need help, and how we need money if we plan to not die from starvation."

Sakura snorted at that. "I have a few things to say about the first part, but I do agree about the latter. You should have warned me we were running out of money."

"_You_ should have stopped acting like a corpse and actually checked your financial state for yourself." He lashed out at her, but pulled back his opinion about the situation. There was no point in fighting now. "The point _is, _you have to start working again in the hospital since I doubt you'd _approve_ of stealing some food. "Sakura made sure to glare hard at him at that part, silently and furiously agreeing with him. "Exactly. But we can't wait till your next pay-check and I definitely can't let you go inside a hospital without making sure you won't get fired when you walk out of-"

"And what, you're saying I'm that incompetent?" She bristled angrily; she was many things, but a bad medic wasn't one of them. She would never allow her emotions get in the way with her work. "Well, I hate to burst your bubble but _I'm not. _No matter that others might think…" She whispered, urging the tears to return to where they came from. No- no more crying for anyone anymore. _No more._ "And besides, as you so elegantly put it, it's not like we have much choice on what to do." She finished heatedly. She really needed some form of support right now, and Sasori being here wasn't helping at all.

"Look, I'm not saying _anything _since you won't let me finish." Sasori stated, his voice getting a dangerous edge to it. Sakura hated the way her back shivered at his tone. "All that aside; we need money now, but I doubt the _Hokage, _will let you undertake any missions anytime soon." He added: "And you do need help; but I can't offer it to you even if I wanted to."

Sakura waited a bit, before allowing her lips to part. "Even if I did need help, why wouldn't _you_ be able to give it to me?" If she actually needed it, which she most certainly _didn't_. Still, it was rare to find Sasori incapable of being superior than her.

He sighed. "Because my input on your situation wouldn't help at all, hell, I'll probably just make things worse." He didn't give her the time to answer.

"Look little girl. I'm not going to let you rust away like some poor, misunderstood victim of the world." He growled. "Whether you like it or not, the future situations will affect both of us. And I'm not going to let you accept whatever happens and drag me down with you. Your precious village now holds the means to destroy us both."

Of course, he was always one to worry that _she _would screw something up. Like everyone else did. "So what, they have the vow! Even if they decode it, you'll be the one in danger, not me." She stated bitterly, staring off to the side.. "So maybe you should start worrying about yourself and just, _leave me alone._" She whispered, as she got up from the couch and prepared to leave this absolutely useless conversation.

Sasori was a patient man (in his own opinion). He really was. Deidara and this infuriating girl were proof of that, since he hadn't blown either of them to bits (tried on many occasions, but didn't). But there was just so much stubborn idiocy a man could take.

Sakura wasn't sure what or how it happened, but suddenly she was pressed into the carpet, sharp wires digging into her skin as Sasori's angry eyes loomed down on her. He had her cornered and his expression was so _angry _he was oozing killing intent. Her brain froze and emptied of anything to do. He was more monster than skin now, and Sakura couldn't help but think, _My God, he's going to kill me. _

But Sasori didn't do that. He pressed himself closer to her ear, ignoring her wince and fear, and calmly stated the facts she was too stubborn and blind to see.

"Yes; they have the vow. And do you know what happens when they break it?" He asked, continuing after her silence. "They'll be able to trace back the chakra it holds on when the agreement was made, and they'll know that_ I'm still alive. _And they'll put two and two together, and seeing as you made no indication on being held captive by a dangerous criminal, they'll deduce _you're_ _helping _the enemy, and they will lock you up for interrogation for a decent amount of time." His breath was warm, but every word he said was as cold as ice. "**IF** you're lucky."

Sakura could barely breathe, but she forced her mouth to form words. It felt like she was on the verge of tears; he was so dangerous and close and _frightening. _She couldn't be brave. But she just couldn't allow herself to be handled like that. "W-won't t-they be a-able to read the vows?" She gasped out, painfully reminded on the vast gap in skill between the two of them. The wires were sucking her chakra dry.

Sasori's laugh was bitter and cruel as it vibrated through her skin. "You would like that, wouldn't you? But I'm afraid only the ones that _made_ the vows can see them. They won't be able to learn of our agreement, but they'll have enough to work with and assume the worst, in your case." This time, he lifted his face a tiny amount away from hers, but held her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. It was like looking into an empty void.

"You can wait and let time pass, and spend the rest of your life locked up and tortured by the very people you care so much about. Or, you can do as I say right now and _if, _only _if, _you're willing; I can help you get strong enough so no one could hurt you ever again." He whispered, staring down into the most frightened emerald eyes he had ever seen. He couldn't help but notice their lovely shade and shimmer, but pretty things wouldn't sway his decision as he let the wires tighten around her and draw blood.

After all, he was a shinobi. And she was going to become one too.

"So, what will it be?" He asked, but it wasn't a question. Sakura knew this as much as she knew that small drops of blood were staining her legs and arms right now. She was aware of this as much as she was aware of how much of a monster Sasori really was. She knew he would kill her if she answered wrong; the killing intent that clamped down on her mind confirmed it as much as the clear emptiness in his eyes did.

And he didn't care if he died too- not in this moment.

_I can help you get strong enough so no one could hurt you ever again._

She let the stray tears fall, as she understood what he was promising, since it was a promise she was never able to fulfill herself. Never able to achieve the dream into reality. Her bones weren't so easy to break now, but words of others still affected her as much as they did when she was 12. And she was never able to prove her worth because of that; she was too emotional for her own good, but her emotions couldn't help her win battles as they could for her team. She knew that. She would have to become a monster like Sasori if she wanted to survive; and she didn't want that.

Her chest ached.

"I'll do what you say."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

After a few days, the plan had been sent into motion.

Everything was prepared, and today was the day for their scheme to begin. Sakura herself had doubts about the success of their plan, but Sasori didn't. He was a puppet master, and to be one you had to be smart. And he was the very _best _puppet master around. He held no doubts in his head that the plan (_his _plan) wouldn't fail.

Still, it would probably ease his mind if the little girl wasn't so jumpy and nervous. His plan couldn't fail, but there was always a chance she would blow it somehow.

Meanwhile, Sakura sighed to herself as she walked up to the familiar green and white building. It hadn't been long, but she hadn't been at the hospital in a while. She wasn't sure if they would still accept her to work, or if the Hokage had already wrapped the staff around his fingertips in completely isolating her from the village.

She hoped not; she really needed some income and food right about now.

She walked in and strolled her way up to the front desk. She took one of the clipboards that held the names of all the staff that came to work for the day. She wrote her name below the many others with the correct time of checking in, and made a mental note to not forget to check out when she left. One of the nurses greeted her cheerfully while she was writing, subtly pointing out it had been a while since she came in and asking her this and that.

Sakura barely smiled back at the woman before leaving to go get changed into her scrubs. She was pretty sure the nurse was sending her an angry and confused glance at her back, but it wasn't like she cared. She didn't want to indulge herself in anybody's curiosity. She had come to work, leave and nothing more.

Once she changed and came into her office, the first thing she noticed was the heavy paperwork on her desk. It didn't look pretty and she wondered what kind of incompetent doctor had replaced her while she was away, or if some of the staff purposely piled her with so much paperwork and simply ignored it in the hopes it would reach the ceiling when she came back. Sakura knew that a hospital was just another battle arena; not as bloody and direct as a real one, but the intentions were the same. Make someone's life a living hell if you really hated them.

And Sakura had enough experience to know that there were few doctors and nurses that were as professional as the fifth hokage and her faithful assistant were, and that left their emotions about someone behind them when they treated others. After all, they were all human beings.

More or less.

Sakura spent the rest of her day on getting rid of her demanding pile of patient records and treating records as much as she could, and she visited the few patients that were supposedly in her care and reviewed their charts. A few people came in, but luckily there were no emergencies or injuries and she only had to send them for tests or prepare a diagnosis. She thanked God in her mind silently, since she was pretty sure she wasn't ready to deal with anything major or extremely difficult yet.

She spent the day working and conversing as little as she had to, but it was such a busy day in the hospital no one seemed to mind or notice. Just when she thought she was on a lucky streak and _Yes, the plan will work!, _a nurse came in while she was writing a review on a patient.

Sakura looked up from her desk, completely startled and stared at the gasping and equally shocked nurse at the door. She was confused about the nurse's horrified face, until she realized that her hand was holding a kunai which was expertly aimed at the woman that came in. Sakura simply closed her eyes and lowered the weapon, murmuring something about her reflexes. The nurse still seemed too appalled to dignify her with any kind of answer.

"Yes, what is it nurse…" She squinted as she read the name tag. "Jungo-san?" The name seemed to put the nurse back into the present.

"A-ah, yes w-welll…" Jungo-san cleared her throat. "There's an emergency. Shizune-san requires your assistance in the operating room."

Sakura cursed her luck inwardly, while she got up and took the clipboard from the still frightened Jungo-san. _Trouble comes when called_ she thought, as her eyes skimmed over the clipboard, but there wasn't anything worthy of information on it. That meant it was a new patient, and that could be either very good or bad. She raised an eyebrow at the nurse. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Ah; poisoning." Jungo-san answered and pointed down the hallway. "Shizune-san is waiting for you in the operating room B-45." Sakura nodded and left the nurse at her doorstep without another word, speeding down the hallway. She had gotten lost at a few turns, but managed to know which direction she was going when she reached hallway B. She would never admit it, but her stomach was filled with all sorts of frayed and twisted nerves. She hadn't been in an operating room in a _long time… _The possibility that she might mess up or that someone might find out; all those questions ranged out in her brain, but when she walked into the room B-45 her face was made of steel and calm determination completely opposite of her internal anxiety.

Shizune was already standing there, surgical gear on as the doctors swarmed around the comatose young boy placed on the table. She greeted Sakura with a nod and something more in her eyes, but Sakura had no time to decipher it as she was handed a mask and standard protective gear. Her hair was wrapped tightly away from her face and her gloves were covering her arms. She spared their patient a glance; his body was filled with purple dots and an angry red rash, and she instantly recognized the cause of his plight (_The meadow gas poison; bandit method. Causes rashes and blisters on contact, can cause lung failure if breathed in._), before she directed her gaze towards Shizune for further instructions.

Sakura was hoping she would give them to her, or this could end very badly.

Shizune pointed towards a small table, filled with herbs, a grinding pot and water. "Sakura, you go and prepare the antidote while I keep the patient stable." Sakura felt the cold sweat gather at her neck at that. "His lungs are already failing. "Shizune added as she directed her chakra towards their patient in the hopes of stopping any further damage.

Sakura gulped as she approached the table, wincing at all the herbs and absolutely no formulas around on how to prepare them. She could safely say, she didn't really stick out in this area; she was more equipped with poison, while antidotes were more of a backup that she never thoroughly explored. It seemed, that was a bad miscalculation on her part, since if it were already possible, then Shizune would have easily extracted the poison via chakra and water already. Seeing that this wasn't the case since she called Sakura in for help, well…

Sakura looked back and seeing that no one was planning to come and help her or something, she concluded that improvising was the best course of action. _I can't make a mistake. _She thought as she grabbed the grinding pot and skimmed through all the available herbs and plants she had, wracking her brain for a solution. _Or else, everyone will find out… And _I'll_ jeopardize the plan. _

And that was _not _going to happen.

As she stared at the array of herbs, she realized that she also had all the ingredients available to make meadow poison, but in a liquid form. It was equally (even more) potent as its gas form; but if she put in the right doses then maybe…

Sakura started mixing herbs and all sorts of fruits, her fingers working expertly as she calculated the needed doses and stirs. The chances of this working were very small; if she remembered correctly, meadow gas gathered blood form the lungs and created small cysts like vessels that blocked the blood flow and eventually, caused the lungs to shut down with their ability to filter oxygen no longer functioning. Liquid meadow did the same thing, but it spread throughout the entire organism and made sure the victim died a slow, painful death as its organs shut down one by one. But, if she were to inject a large dose of it straight through the lungs then, perhaps…

"Sakura!" Shizune hollered at her, her chakra barely stabilizing the patient's status; they were losing him, fast. "What are you doing down there?! I need that antidote, fast!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Almost…" She watched the heated concoction gain a bright purple color; _perfect!_ "Finished!" She said in triumph, and hurriedly took the bowl and walked towards the operating table. "I need a syringe." She told one of the nurses standing by, who hurriedly went to prepare one for her. Shizune sighed with relief, before looking down at the bowl and gasping like a fish out of water. She almost stopped her chakra flow, which would have instantly rendered their patient dead.

"What is that?!" She yelled at Sakura in outrage and shock. "The antidote is supposed to be green, what did you-?!"

Sakura wasn't going to let Shizune's words sway her decision; she collected the poison she created, and without a single word, injected it directly into the patient's lungs. _Here's hoping the blood-system doesn't stop and kill him instead… _

Shizune was horrified, as she stopped her chakra flow. "No…" She whispered, as a tense silence filled the room. The nurses were just about ready to check for a pulse when they saw no sign of movement, before the patient suddenly started convulsing. Thick, purple liquid filled with tiny black dots emerged from his mouth in spades, with more to come. They quickly pulled him to the side and got the nearest bowl, making sure he didn't choke on his own vomit.

_Yes. _Sakura purred in delight at her accomplishment, sighing on the outside as she took of her mask and went to get rid of the rest of the poison. Shizune couldn't move from her shock, so Sakura turned to the nearest nurse and instructed her on what to do.

"When he stops vomiting purple liquid and starts vomiting whatever he has in his stomach, you can put him in a room and run some tests on any leftover poison in his system. Give him some antibiotics before that and makes sure he's breathing properly. If the test come back negative, then you can start treating the skin blisters; ah, and make sure he doesn't scratch them. Don't give him any liquid or water for a couple of hours."

"Yes Haruno-san." And with that, Sakura left the operating room and went in to clean herself up. Just as she was scrubbing her hands, a very angry looking and disturbed Shizune came to join her.

"What. Was. That?" She growled at Sakura, discarding her gloves and throwing them into the bin. _Straight to the point _Sakura observed, expertly staring at her soaped hands. She was glaring at Sakura with all her might, only getting angrier when the girl barely glanced at her. "That was no antidote, and you know that. Just what in the name of hell did you give that man?"

Sakura felt her shoulders hunch- this day would never end. "Relax, Shizune-san. I only gave him a… _different,_ type of antidote."

"And why would you do that?!" She yelled back, angry. "If you'd just given him the correct antidote, then he wouldn't be there right now, throwing up his organs out and who else knows what." Shizune stared at Sakura, but the girl wouldn't meet her gaze at all. The older woman couldn't believe how she was acting.

"Sakura-!"

"Yes, I understand I made the wrong decision, but I made a mistake in the original antidote and there was no time to start over, so I went in the best direction that was available at the moment. " Sakura replied curtly, annoyed herself. It was a complete lie, but if Shizune was reacting this badly over a different "antidote" then she didn't want to know her reaction if she mentioned she had basically poisoned the man further in hopes his body would force the alien liquid _outside_ and clean his lungs out in the process. "Now, if you'll excuse me…" She murmured as she headed for the exit.

"Sakura, stop." Shizune called out, her tone more controlled now but still angry. She sighed at her very best apprentice and partner, the very future in the medical field. A future that looked ready to bolt out the door any second. It saddened her that she was no longer so trustworthy with her, but she couldn't allow Sakura to make such critical mistakes in the future, especially in the field.

"I understand that you're going through a rough time with your… _friends _and teammates." Shizune whispered quietly. "And I know that you and the Hokage are not on the best of terms now-" She watched as Sakura's shoulders straightened like steel "-But you can't let your emotions get in the way of your job. You know that, don't you?"

When Sakura turned, there was no hesitance or regret in her gaze. Her eyes were narrowed and emotionless, and it scared the older woman into thinking her words might have done more wrong than good.

"Yes, thank you for your input, Shizune-san." Sakura replied with all the diplomacy the elder council held, opening the door. "I'll be sure to do better in the future." And with those cold words, the young and exceptional medic left the room.

Shizune sighed and started cleaning herself up- no point in getting herself even more worked up. But she couldn't help it; her mind was filled with worry, but she wasn't allowed to question Sakura on anything yet. Kakashi strictly instructed her not to.

The older woman exited the room, and headed in the direction of her office. She had a message she needed to write and send. Frankly, she wanted to do anything but that, but she was under orders and not favours. And she doubted she was the only means of information Kakashi had in the building.

_If Tsunade was still here, things would be different. _She thought soberly. _Oh Sakura, what is going on in your head?_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sakura was just about ready to check out of the hospital, go change in her office and head home for a nice, overdue rest. But apparently, the universe was doing it's very best to agitate her as much as it could today. She was close to chopping someone's head off when a doctor came rushing down to meet her. _When will this day end?_

"Ah, Haruno-san." He greeted cheerfully, before pointing his thumb back the way he came from- utter lack of tact. "Sorry to interrupt, but one of my patients would like a word with you. I don't suppose you could…?" He grinned at her sheepishly, and Sakura noticed his attitude reminded her of someone very annoying once. Luckily, she knew how to deal with those kind of people.

"Is it urgent?" She asked. "Life-threatening? An emergency?"

"Uh-uhh well, no but-"

"Then send her in tomorrow." Sakura stated, walking away from her hospital colleague. "I'm exhausted, and I doubt I'll be of much help now."

"A-ah, but wait- You can't-"

"It will only take a minute of your time, Sakura-san!" A new voice interjected the doctor. It was high and very feminine, and Sakura looked back curiously to see who was speeding down the hallway. It was a young, quite busty and long-haired girl. "It will only take a moment of your time, I-I promise." The girl replied, the doctor grinning at them both and leaving them alone in the hallway. Sakura didn't even watch him go, instead giving all her attention to the pale and fragile looking girl in front of her.

She had long black hair (almost dark blue) and she held herself with little pride and a lot of insecurity. Sakura stared at her, the familiarity escaping her, until she saw her glassy, moon like eyes. The eyes of a naturally equipped killer. Ah; a Hyuuga.

"Hinata-san?" Sakura questioned, wondering what the girl wanted with her. Last time she checked, they were barely acquaintances and didn't really talk much. Her blond teammate was practically the only connection they had to one another.

Hinata smiled awkwardly at Sakura. "May we- I mean, could we talk?" She asked politely, clutching her handbag in a death-grip. "I-I'll be really quick. Promise!" She squeaked, nervous and a bit embarrassed.

Sakura just shrugged and gestured to her office at the end of the hallway. "Talk away." She told her, as she continued walking towards her initial destination. The girl was left dumbstruck for a moment, before she quickly caught up with her.

"Well, y-you see, I-I was wondering... How are you?" She asked in a happy tune, before quickly starting to fidget with her fingers. "I-I mean, well, uhm… It's been a while since I, well everyone really, saw you and I-I guess uhmmm… I wanted to check up… on you?" Hinata tried, wincing at her own question and lack of conversation abilities. "N-not that I-I want to impose on you or anything and well, I mean _I, _well actually we- that is _all of us _are kinda… well…" She fumbled with her words, not knowing what to say as they stopped in front of Sakura's office. "I-I can leave if you want!" She yelled suddenly, feeling utterly stupid and embarrassed by herself. She only had _one thing _to do, and she couldn't even do it right! _Stupid, stupid, stu-_

"Hinata-san?" Sakura's voice snapped her away from her inner struggle and the shy girl looked up at the medic. Sakura's voice was gentle and so was her smile, even if it seemed a bit strained. "Did Naruto send you here?"

Hinata's heart skipped a beat. Technically… "Yes." She answered. "He's… very worried. A-about you." She whispered. Sakura sighed.

"Well, then tell him to stop worrying." She said as she opened the door to her office. "I'm fine, I just need… to be alone for a while." She managed to say, giving Hinata one last strained smile. "Thanks for checking up on me."

She closed the door and left the shy girl on the other side, alone. Hinata heaved a small sigh as she walked away.

A hundred thoughts bloomed inside the young kunoichi's head; how could she have screwed up such a simple task? She only had to ask Sakura how she was and if she needed something- then report back if she noticed any strange or peculiar behaviour around her. In the end, the one that acted completely cornered and scared was Hinata herself and not Sakura. _This is why I didn't want to go in the first place._

And Naruto- Kami above, how could she have lied like that?! In reality, she guessed that if she hadn't already been asked to check on Sakura then Naruto might have asked her either way, but still! She didn't have the tendency to lie and she definitely wasn't good when she did so. She had no idea how she even managed to pull it off without instantly arousing suspicion!

Hinata let the wind carry her hair around her, as she breathed in the fresh air of the outside world once more. She was never fond of hospitals and their stuffy and stale air; it was one of the reasons she never thought about indulging herself in the medical carrier. Even though most would label her as more of a helping person, she heard enough rumors to know a hospital was a real gladiator arena. Even the most patient of people lost to it many times.

She sighed as the setting sun shined its last rays upon her.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to tell Hokage-sama that Sakura is alright." She murmured as she walked towards the hokage tower. "Though, I don't think she's acting like herself..."

The young girl was completely unaware of the emerald eyes that watched her from the hospital window, keen ears hearing every word the confused kunoichi said. Sakura watched the hokage tower with a critical eye; so, they were monitoring her on any suspicious behaviour. Just as she expected- the Hokage wasn't trusting Sakura at all, and was taking measures in ensuring she wasn't going to pull any escape attempts or suspicious plans. She vaguely wondered when he'd decide to start monitoring her apartment…

Sakura grinned despite herself. _If he was smart enough, he would have done so already. _She growled a curse under her breath, before light flapping caught her attention. A small owl flew towards her, hooting three times in succession. She grinned at it, satisfaction coursing through her soul.

_Foolish Hokage- you're too late. _Sakura stated, but it wasn't Sakura anymore who said those words. Emerald eyes slimmed and turned grey, and pink hair shortened itself into messy hair the color of blood. Her jaw sharpened and Sasori revealed himself, momentarily letting the henge fall. He smirked towards the gate of the village. _By now, she should already be there…_

_Everything is going right on schedule. _He thought to himself. _This village is more blind than a bat._

**A/N: Holy cow, this was tough to write. Im so exhausted X.X**

**So, were ya expecting that, huh? Ya didn't did ya? Huh? Huh? Huh? XD**

**Yes- a bit of Sakura's actions in the hospital are explainable now aren't they? As to where the **_**real **_**Sakura is, well… youre going to have to find out. ;-)**

**P.S. All of that meadow-gas poisoning and stuff is utter lies I made up; I'm no doctor, but I have enough imagination running wild so please excuse my mistakes if most of the procedure I wrote down isn't possible. They're ninjas who cares? Leave all your critics and reviews for you know where!**


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